


Murder on the beat

by mother_of_lions



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us, Alternate Universe - Space, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Ensemble Cast, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Sort Of, Whump, lots of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:15:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28720287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mother_of_lions/pseuds/mother_of_lions
Summary: "Captain's log. It's been thirty-five days since the initial Attack."A sigh crackles over the aging recording."It's been five days since another of Them attacked. We don't know how long they've been on the ship. They could be anyone. Your crew mate, your friend, your-"The recording crackles with static as an explosion can be heard in the background."Fuck. Fuck, I have to go. Just. Don't trust anyone."
Relationships: Elyan/Percival (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 48





	Murder on the beat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yarniac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yarniac/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Yarniac! You're an incredible friend and I wanted to write something I thought you would genuinely enjoy. Taking into consideration all the themes and tropes that I know you like, I hope that I did them justice with this fic. I hope you have an incredible day! <3
> 
> You know I like my playlists, so I did make a small one to go with this fic, and you can find it [here on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4P2VTBepbWdXiIqaXZMW1b?si=bcBMaWA0QUqn9f-togNEig)
> 
> Thanks to Katie, who helped me work through a few plot holes and did a spot of editing for me!

>>><<<

The alarm beeped on his communicuff, dragging Arthur unwillingly into the waking world. Groaning, he pulled the thick blanket over his face and desperately wished for just a few more minutes of sleep.

The communicuff went off again, impervious to Arthur’s wishes, and demanding his attention. Holding his forearm horizontally in front of his face so he could see, Arthur read the message from his Communications and Navigations Officer, Gwen Thomas.

Flipping the blanket off, Arthur swung his legs over the side of the bed and stumbled to the tiny ensuite bathroom. Quickly, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, getting ready for another day as Captain aboard his star cruiser, Excalibur. Opening the closet door, Arthur selected a clean, red jumpsuit and pulled it on, sealing it closed and snapping the buttons of the cover together over the seam. Rolling his shoulders, Arthur adjusted the cuffs around his wrists before pressing a button on the communicuff to begin compressing the excess air out of the suit.

As the suit finished, Arthur sighed and fluffed his hair in the tiny mirror before rolling his eyes at himself and giving up. It’s not like anyone cared, anyway, even though he hoped one particular crew member did. Tucking his helmet under his arm, he left the compartment, locking the door behind himself.

Arthur strode into Command a few minutes later. Nodding at Gwen and Leon’s greetings, he took his seat in the Captain’s chair. “Navigations, report.”

“Still on course, Captain. A few asteroids came into range overnight, but nothing to warrant any immediate action,” Gwen informed him.

Arthur turned to look at Leon, raising his eyebrows. “Anything happen in the last eight hours?”

Leon, Excalibur’s First Mate, shook his head. “No, sir. Nothing of note.”

“No sign from our _guests,_ then?”

“You would have been informed immediately, sir,” Leon affirmed.

Gwen looked over at him knowingly, a shadow of pity in her eyes.

Arthur closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his forefinger and thumb. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened last week. Gwen would only say that it wasn’t his fault, that they couldn’t have known. But it _was_. It was his responsibility to keep the crew safe.

Even from each other.

Sighing, Arthur stood from his chair and made his way down the hall to the Observation Deck, leaving his helmet on the chair. He stopped at the center pane, bracing his hands on the transparent pane of fused quartz, and gazing out at the broad expanse of space.

It used to take his breath away, every time Arthur got to see the vast, seemingly endless void of nothing. And it was still beautiful, but Arthur knew better now. Knew the hidden dangers that lurked around every corner. Knew that a single wrong move could mean life and death not only for him, but for his entire crew.

The memory of a blaring alarm cut through Arthur’s thoughts, echoing in his mind just as it had that night, gripping him with icy fear. Arthur needed to move. He had to go back to Command, or they’d come looking for him soon. He didn’t want them to see him like this, see him breaking down under something that was only in his mind. His hands trembled, but refused to obey, remaining glued to the pane of fused quartz. Arthur became aware of how loud his breathing was, coming in and out his mouth harshly over the sound of blood roaring in his ears. His heart was pounding so loud he was sure everyone onboard could hear it.

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to get a grip—

The door to the Observation Deck burst open, and Arthur opened his eyes in surprise. The alarm in his mind stopped, the memory of the night life aboard the Excalibur came to a crashing halt fading from his thoughts.

Merlin stood by the door, tilting his head to the side and watching him with bright eyes. He grinned when Arthur’s eyes met his, making him look more like a boy than a young man. “Everything okay in here?”

Arthur managed a nod, pulling his hands off the quartz pane to drop limply at his sides. “Yeah, just, doing the rounds, you know.” His voice was shaky, even to his ears. He cleared his throat. “Skipping work again, _Mer_ lin?”

He moved to join Arthur at the window, looking out into the inky black that surrounded them. Merlin glanced back at Arthur and gave him a cheeky wink, shrugging a shoulder. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“I’m the _captain_ , Merlin.”

Merlin chuckled and turned to face the window again. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin’s profile, tracing the cut of his jaw down to the line of his neck, following it into the collar of his blue compression suit with his gaze. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“This was all I wanted to do as a kid, you know. Be out here, in space.”

“Did it live up to expectation, then?” Arthur snorted. Of all the space excursions he’d been on, he couldn’t remember any of them going like this one.

Merlin glanced back at him and smirked, dark lashes fanning over his cheekbone. “It could be worse.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows in disbelief, but didn’t comment. He couldn’t imagine anything being worse than this. Half the crew was gone, their ship held together by sheer spite and the skill of his remaining crew members.

Their communicuffs went off simultaneously, and Arthur startled, jerking his arm around to read the message.

Reminder: Crew Meeting at 17:00

Arthur sighed, dismissing the message. He nodded once at Merlin, and raised his hand in goodbye. “Guess I’ll see you at the meeting, then.”

Arthur had just settled back into his chair at Command when he realized.

Merlin hadn’t been carrying his helmet.

>>><<<

Merlin ignored the eyes watching him with suspicion as he entered the bathroom, dragging the bucket and mop behind him. Will immediately gave up the pretense of cleaning altogether and hopped up to sit on the edge of the long row of sinks. He crossed his arms and watched Merlin squeeze the excess water out of the mophead and flop it onto the floor.

Lancelot finished washing his hands, drying them with exaggerated slowness. A toilet flushed, and Mordred exited a stall. The tension in the air was palpable as he washed his hands, drying them swiftly and glancing around at the others. He scurried out the door without a word, glancing back with an odd look on his face just before it closed.

“Well?” Will demanded.

Lancelot shot him a dirty look, bringing a finger to his lips and gesturing at the door. He turned to Merlin, and asked in a lowered voice, “Well, did you?”

“No,” Merlin ran a hand through his hair, straightening up and leaning the mop handle against the wall. “I had to ask where he was, Gwen would have figured it out.”

Will rolled his eyes and huffed a breath. Lance, however, nodded. “We still have time, it’s fine. There’s, what, another month until we’re supposed to land on Camelot?”

“Yeah, just about.”

“That’s plenty of time. We just have to make it through tonight and four more meetings.” Lance shot Will a hard glare. “We have to be smart, Will. What’s the point if we all get Chosen before we get to Camelot?”

“We should just take them now. The numbers are close enough, we could do it.”

Merlin kept his eyes down, picking up the mop again and dragging it back and forth across the floor. He understood where Will was coming from, but Lance was right.

“If you make it through the meeting, Will, you can pick someone tomorrow,” Lance promised. Glancing at his communicuff, Lance nodded in goodbye and pushed the door open, making his way back to the Engineering hub to finish his tasks, leaving Merlin alone with Will.

“Come on, let’s just finish so we can have some quiet time before the meeting,” Merlin urged. “You can decide which crew member you want while we work.”

Assuaged, Will jumped down from the counter and resumed his tasks. Together, they finished cleaning the bathroom and stowed the supplies in the nearby maintenance closet. Saying goodbye to Will, Merlin went back to his compartment and lay down on the narrow bed in the dim light, trying to keep from thinking about the upcoming meeting.

Everything would be fine. Merlin hadn’t done anything suspicious in over a week. He clocked in, he ate his meals, he carried his helmet.

His helmet.

Launching himself out of bed, he crossed the tiny room in a few steps and ripped open the closet door. Sitting on the shelf, the face shield glinting with the sliver of light from the corridor outside, was his helmet.

Fuck.

Hopefully no one had noticed. This breach of protocol alone was enough to get him Chosen. Panic threatened to overwhelm him. Merlin sank to his knees, clutching the blue helmet to his chest. How could he have been so stupid?

_Move,_ his brain ordered. Back to the bed. He had to get back on the bed in case someone came to check on him. Merlin crawled across the floor, hauling himself up onto the regulation blankets and curling around the helmet. They didn’t even _need_ the helmets, there wouldn’t be another major attack again.

_But the crew doesn’t know that,_ he reminded himself. Closing his eyes tightly, Merlin forced himself to calm down. _Everything would be fine._

>>>

The room was dead silent, the tension thick and heavy, weighing everyone down in their chairs. Gwaine met Merlin’s eyes from across the table, and gave him a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. He looked rough, now that Merlin had the chance to really look at him. His face was drawn and hollow, hair pulled back into a tight bun under his green helmet that only accentuated how exhausted he appeared.

A wave of guilt crashed over him. Looking away, Merlin tried not to fidget, keeping his hands clasped tightly in his lap. His breathing was harsh and loud inside the helmet, and he was glad no one else could hear how anxious he was.

The door opened, forcing everyone out of their thoughts as they turned to look at who it was. Arthur entered, closing the door behind him and locking it. Taking his seat at the table, Arthur did a quick headcount that nearly drew a morbid chuckle from Merlin. No one would dare miss the weekly meeting.

Arthur took a deep breath, looking around at the crew. “Shall we begin?”

There was a murmur of assent, and they all sat up straight, each propping the arm carrying their communicuff on the table in front of them.

“Begin.”

Merlin wracked his brain, trying to think of who to vote for. If he voted for one of his own, they might actually get chosen. But if he voted for one of the crew, and had to defend it without reasonable evidence, the crew might turn on him instead. They should have pre-planned who to choose in the lavatory earlier, Merlin bemoaned to himself. He’d have to remember that for next week.

Biting his lip, Merlin closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath before selecting a name. His communicuff lit up in a thin strip of green around his wrist, indicating he had submitted a name.

A few minutes of tense silence passed, before all the cuffs lit up green, signaling that everyone had chosen a name.

Arthur looked at the results on his own cuff, keeping his face impassive. “There’s been a tie. Choose again.”

“Who tied?” Vivian asked, her normally bright voice sounding raspy and strained through the helmet’s speaker.

“Mordred,” Arthur glanced around a moment before settling on him. “and Merlin.”

The world whited out for a moment, the blood rushing in his ears the only sound Merlin was conscious of.

His companions did their best to keep their composure, but Will’s clenched fist betrayed how he really felt.

“Choose again,” Arthur commanded.

The crew bent their heads, the communicuffs lighting up green much faster than the first time as the sixteen votes poured in.

Arthur looked at the screen of his cuff for a long moment, the clench of his jaw visible through the face shield of his red helmet. He turned to the group grimly, delivering the result in a strangled voice.

“Mordred.”

The brown-suited crew member jumped to his feet, fists slamming down on the metal table. “This is preposterous! It’s not me, I’m not one of Them!”

Leon moved first, standing and darting over to Mordred’s chair, his white suit little more than a bright blur. Lucan, a burly engineer whose pink suit was stretched so tight around each of his bulging biceps Merlin always wondered how it didn’t rip, grabbed Mordred’s other arm. Together, they hauled Mordred’s skinny ass out of his chair and dragged him towards the door, boots squeaking against the floor as he fought back.

The rest of the crew stayed silent, offering neither a defense nor assistance. Some sort of unspoken code, Merlin supposed, that they had begun after the first meeting. It was the only act of solidarity they could offer.

This was how things were now.

Mordred struggled in their grip, thrashing and clawing at his captors uselessly. “It’s not me! You have to believe me, please!”

Arthur stood and unlocked the door for Leon and Lucan to carry the struggling crewmate out. The rest of the group stood slowly and followed, watching in collective horror as Lucan pinned Mordred’s arms behind his back while Leon opened the airlock.

“Please, it’s not me!” Mordred’s wails could still be heard over the sound of rushing air, begging for mercy. “Please!”

With the hatch open, Leon and Lucan lifted Mordred together and shoved him head-first through the airlock.

It was over in less than a second, Mordred’s brown gloved fingers attempting to keep a grip on the edge of the lock. The pressure proved to be too great for him to withstand, and he was swept away before Lucan could stomp on his fingers to force Mordred to let go.

Leon replaced the hatch quickly, working in tandem with Lucan to lock it back into place.

They straightened up and the crew collectively turned to look at Arthur, waiting on his next set of orders.

“You’re all dismissed,” Arthur said gruffly. “Get some rest.”

>>><<<

Arthur jumped when Gwen softly nudged his shoulder, holding out a cup of what constituted as coffee while they were in space.

“Take a break, Captain. Leon and I can handle it for a while.”

Nodding, Arthur accepted the cup gratefully, and stumbled blearily to the Cafeteria for his scheduled morning meal. He nodded a greeting to Gwaine, the crew member who’d volunteered to fill in as cook after — after the Event.

Arthur sat down heavily in the nearest chair, the tray clattering when he placed it on the table. Today’s breakfast looked like porridge. Again. He knew they were lucky to even have food left after the damage to the larder, but he was getting tired of boiled grains. Opening the package of accompanying dried fruit and nuts, he dumped it on top and mixed it together. Best to eat it quickly, before it congealed.

A tray landed across from him on the table, and Arthur glanced up to see Merlin pulling out a seat.

“How are you doing?” Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged, and plonked his helmet down across from Arthur’s red one. “Will you judge me if I say I’m glad it was him and not me?”

“Can’t say that I do,” Arthur admitted. The mental image of Merlin being the one forced through the airlock flashed through his mind, making his stomach turn. He dropped his spoon back onto the tray.

“Are you okay?” Merlin kept his voice low, his brows slightly pinched.

It was Arthur’s turn to shrug. “This is how it is now, right? I have to keep the crew safe, and this is all I can think to do.”

Things hadn’t always been like this, hosting weekly meetings to choose someone to eject from the ship if they didn’t uncover and remove one of Them during the week on their own.

A month ago, Arthur had been awoken in the middle of the night by a large explosion, rocking the Excalibur so hard it had thrown him out of bed. Alarms had blared, waking and alerting everyone who hadn’t already figured it out that they were under attack.

They lost half the crew that night.

Arthur’s memories of, of _Before_ , were hazy at best. He struggled to remember the specifics of the Event, much less the names of the original crew. The crew log had been sabotaged in the original attack, only providing him with the names of the survivors.

And even those were a lie.

Merlin’s communicuff beeped, breaking Arthur out of his dark reverie. A shadow crossed over Merlin’s normally bright face, a blink and you miss it change. He looked up to meet Arthur’s eyes with a grin that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Guess I’ll see you around, Captain.”

Pushing his chair back with a squeak, Merlin got up and went off to deal with whatever emergency demanded his attention, blue helmet held tightly under his arm.

Arthur let out a tight sigh. The idiot forgot to carry it around with him so often. He needed to be more careful and stop attracting so much attention.

>>>

“And see here, we’re estimating an asteroid field just outside the rings of Essetir.” Gwen pointed to an arbitrary space on the map. Leon stood beside her, nodding along seriously, but Arthur knew he had to be faking. No one cared about star charts that much, other than Gwen.

“So that gives us, what, a few days to get ready?” Gwen nodded. “Is this a ‘break-them-up-and-hope-for-the-best’ situation, or an avoidance situation?”

Gwen considered for a moment. “We may need to break up a few of the outliers, maybe. But I think avoiding it as much as possible would be the safest bet.”

“That puts us several days off our course, sir,” Leon added. “If we go around, that adds almost five days. If we calculate wrong or run into trouble, it could be more. Not to mention the potential damage we could undergo. We need to think of the safety of the crew, sir.”

Arthur nodded absently, mulling it over. He paced away from the table, gazing out one of the panes of fused quartz that lined Command. “Someone get in touch with Gwaine, ask him if we have enough supplies to make it seven extra days.” Arthur turned back to his lead officers. “Regardless of what he says, we’ll go around. Keep me updated.”

Walking out of Command, Arthur made his way towards the Armory, intending to check on Excalibur’s blasters. He got about halfway there when the communicuff vibrated and beeped on his wrist.

! ! ! CODE T – LAVATORY ! ! !

Well, fuck.

Pulling his helmet on, Arthur took off at a sprint, passing the Armory and heading straight for the bathrooms. He arrived to see a gaggle of crew members already gathered around a sobbing Elena, who was hunched over something on the bathroom floor. Her pale yellow suit was flecked with blood, tinging it a sickly orange color.

Across her lap, his large body almost completely covering Elena’s, lay Kay. His orange suit had been ripped open across the stomach by large claws, his intestine flopping out onto the grey, linoleum floor. Blood streaked the mirrors and the walls, pooling thickly around Kay’s prostrate legs.

“What happened?” Arthur demanded pointlessly, running his hand through his hair and turning away to slam his closed fist against the side of a toilet stall in frustration. He knew what happened. They _all_ knew what happened. One of Them had attacked. Again.

Elena sniffled, and muttered something incoherent. Mithian crouched beside her, rubbing a soothing hand across her back, “Say that again for me, love.”

Elena repeated herself, still no more intelligible than she had been the first time, at least to Arthur. Mithian, however, gasped, burgundy gloved hand coming up to touch the face shield over her mouth. She turned and faced the group, her voice shaking as she declared, “Vivian did this. She’s one of Them!”

Gasps went up among those assembled, many murmuring amongst themselves.

“Where is she?” Leon asked through gritted teeth, hands curling into fists.

Elena muttered some words, and they turned to Mithian for translation. “She disappeared through a—are you sure, Elena?” Elena nodded faintly, yellow gloves stroking Kay’s blond hair off his forehead. “She disappeared into the vents!”

The group went dead silent, looking up and around themselves cautiously.

“The vents?” Leon questioned.

Again, Elena nodded.

“Alright. Mithian, take Elena back to her compartment. Stay there with her,” Arthur instructed. He turned to the rest of the crew. “From now on, no one goes anywhere alone. Pick a partner. You eat together, you sleep together, you go to the lavatory together, you do your tasks together. If I catch anyone without their partner, you’ll be placed on immediate suspicion and face a trial of your peers.”

Arthur waited until everyone had paired up, and realized he was alone. “Who isn’t here, aside from Vivian?”

Leon glanced around, and he pressed his lips into a thin line. “Merlin and Gwaine, Captain.”

“Merlin will be my partner, then. Gwaine will just have to be confined to the kitchens.” Arthur resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands. “I need volunteers to help clean this up. The rest of you go back to your compartments. If you see Vivian, arrest her.”

Arthur stalked out of the bathroom, intent on finding Vivian himself. Rounding another corner, he pulled up short just before he ran smack into Merlin.

“Where have you been?” Arthur demanded, his voice harsher than he meant it to be.

Merlin looked at him with wide, guileless eyes. “I was cleaning the kitchen, like I’m supposed to at this time today.” He offered his wrist so Arthur could see the schedule on the communicuff.

Arthur squinted at him, raising an eyebrow. “I guess that’s fine. Can anyone corroborate that?”

“Gwaine helped me clean the kitchens.”

“Didn’t you get the Code T?”

“I’m a lowly janitor, Arthur, not a technician. I didn’t think I was allowed to go.”

Arthur pondered that for a moment. “Will was there.”

The shift in Merlin was immediate. His whole body tensed. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his eyes darkened. Running a hand over his face, Merlin visibly forced himself to relax, and when he met Arthur’s eyes again, there was no trace of the tension Arthur had just seen. It was unnerving, like seeing two completely different people occupy one body.

Merlin smiled brightly at Arthur, a hint of pointed teeth on either side of his mouth. “Well, Will’s a slacker, isn’t he?”

Arthur barked out a laugh, letting the moment pass. “Yeah, yeah I guess he is.” He gestured for Merlin to walk with him. “Kay’s dead. Vivian killed him-“ Merlin stiffened again “-and now everyone’s required to have a partner with them at all times. Eat, sleep, and complete tasks together. Everything.”

Merlin nodded along in Arthur’s peripheral vision. “Who’s my partner, then? Will?”

“Nope. Me.” Arthur clapped him on the shoulder and smiled sardonically. “We’re going to go to your compartment now, so you can get anything you need. Then, you’re moving to my room.”

“Why can’t we stay in mine?” Merlin protested.

“Because, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur drawled. “Mine is bigger.”

Merlin huffed, but didn’t say anything more until they stopped by his room. Sliding the compartment door open, Merlin darted in and picked up extra clothes and shoes, stuffing them along with his spare space suits, in a bag.

Arthur watched silently from the doorway, looking over the mess that was Merlin’s compartment. He didn’t really seem to _have_ anything, so why was it such a mess? Blankets on the floor, underclothes piled in the corner. An extra pair of boots thrown haphazardly across the bed.

But no personal effects. No photos of family, or trinkets from a significant other. No books or bits of decoration. Even Leon had a few things in his compartment.

It left Arthur feeling vaguely unsettled.

Merlin joined him at the door, backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Ready?” Merlin nodded, and they made the short walk to the other side of the ship where the Captain and First Mate’s quarters were assigned near the Command Hub.

Opening the door, Arthur gestured for Merlin to enter first. Merlin whistled in appreciation, “Pays to be king, huh?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Put your stuff down, we can sort it out later. I’ve got to go back to Command.”

“What?” Merlin balked. “I have to go finish cleaning, the lavatory needs to be scrubbed.”

“Well, my task outranks yours,” Arthur patronized.

Merlin bristled. “Just because you think _janitors_ are beneath you doesn’t mean our job isn’t important. Do you know what blood smells like when it’s been sitting for a few days? It’s not just going to dry up and disappear like water.”

“I asked for volunteers to clean up the lavatory, Merlin,” Arthur explained softly, regretting his behavior. “It’s taken care of. We’ve got some time before you need to do the other rounds.”

Merlin gave a curt nod, but didn’t relax.

“I’m sorry, Merlin. I didn’t mean to imply that your tasks aren’t important,” Arthur added, keeping his voice soft and low. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

The tension drained out of Merlin’s shoulders, and he seemed smaller, somehow. Arthur laid a hand gently on his shoulder, squeezing, before leading the way back to Command.

>>><<<

Being in the Command hub with Arthur was…different, to say the least. Both Leon and Gwen’s partners, Lucan and Morgana respectively, stood off to the side, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Merlin nodded at them in greeting, but didn’t join them. He stood off to the left of the Captain’s chair, hands crossed at the wrist behind his back. Arthur glanced at him periodically, a grin quirking the corner of his lips when they made eye contact.

It made Merlin feel weird. Warm, and sort of fuzzy on the inside. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about it, but he didn’t want Arthur to stop looking at him like that.

Arthur was good at his job, Merlin had to admit. Most of the decisions he had to make were difficult. Everything from reordering task schedules to helping Gwaine reconfigure the rations to make them stretch through the extra seven days they estimated it would take to go around Essetir.

He fielded check ins and questions from the thirteen other people on the Excalibur constantly, at all hours of the day. His communicuff was always lighting up with some new innocuous message or update. The constant barrage of data was _exhausting_ , even for Merlin who wasn’t directly involved. It made him grateful he wasn’t Captain.

Finally, Arthur’s cuff vibrated and lit up red, signaling the end of his shift. Merlin hadn’t really done anything, but he felt dead on his feet, worn out by simply being in the radius of such a mentally and emotionally demanding task.

Arthur smiled at him as he stood and stretched out his back. “Let’s go sleep for a bit. Sorry you didn’t get to do your tasks, I didn’t think today would be so busy.”

“No problem, Captain. I didn’t realize you did so much,” Merlin admitted, then caught how his words sounded. “As Captain, I mean. I didn’t realize you did so much as Captain.”

Chuckling, Arthur let them into his compartment and set about stripping out of his suit.

_Oh no, he’s hot,_ Merlin thought, soaking up the view Arthur had provided.

“Um, shouldn’t we, stay in our suits?” Merlin asked, swallowing nervously as he watched Arthur’s forearms flex while he set about getting ready to sleep. “For safety? What if there’s a problem overnight?”

“Then leave your suit on, Merlin,” Arthur replied tiredly. He crawled onto the bed, giving Merlin a nice look at his pert ass, and tucked himself down between the sheets and rolling over onto his side without further comment. Arthur closed his eyes, breathing settling into an even rhythm almost immediately.

Merlin stood dumbly in the middle of the floor, unsure of what to do. If he took his suit off, then Arthur would _know._ There would be no hiding it. And he still needed to go meet the other companions, anyway. Arthur’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

“Just, lay down, Merlin.”

Perching on the edge of the bed, Merlin slipped off his boots. Lifting the edge of the blanket, he gingerly slid in beside Arthur, being careful to avoid touching him. He lay stiffly on his side, incredibly conscious of the fact that he was laying mere inches from his (unsurprisingly) gorgeous Captain, from _Arthur_.

“Relax,” Arthur whispered.

Bending his legs in a little, Merlin tried to force his muscles into unwinding. This was weird. He could feel the heat radiating off of Arthur, even through his suit. Merlin shouldn’t be here. Why did Arthur pick him to partner up with?

Merlin was running out of excuses to explain why he hadn’t disposed of Arthur yet. Without a Captain, the ship would fall into chaos, and be easily overrun by Merlin’s companions. Arthur picking him as partner meant he had constant, unfettered access.

Like now.

Arthur was asleep. Just a few inches away. And he wasn’t even wearing his suit. It would be easy. One cut, right there on the strip of exposed skin along his neck. Arthur would bleed out before anyone could help him.

Gazing down at Arthur’s profile, Merlin became aware of just how fragile Arthur was.

Rolling over, Merlin propped himself up with his elbow and leaned over Arthur’s prone body. Merlin could almost smell the blood. His knife was in his bag, on the other side of the room, but he could use his teeth.

Merlin lowered himself down slowly. One bite. Just one, tiny nibble.

But he couldn’t do it. Or wouldn’t. Arthur was kind and dedicated to his job. He had been nothing but accommodating to the crew, to Merlin, over the last month. He listened to Merlin ramble when he found Arthur on the Observation Deck, made sure Merlin ate his meals and had enough time to sleep. And now, he could have made Merlin sleep in the floor. Hadn’t even seemed to consider it, really.

The cuff on his arm vibrated, making him jerk back in surprise. Merlin rolled over and off the bed, landing on the floor with a thump. He clenched his teeth, holding in his groan of pain.

Merlin didn’t need to look at the message to know who it was from. Pushing up from the floor, Merlin snatched his boots and slipped out of the compartment door. Slipping them on, he checked the coast was clear before ducking into the nearest vent.

Following the vent shaft through the ship, Merlin climbed out when he came across the largest janitor’s closet. Dropping down to the floor, he looked around the room, seeing which of his companions had been able to make an appearance. Most of them had teamed up with each other, but only Will and Lance were waiting.

“Where are the other two?” Merlin asked.

“Couldn’t get away in time, they said. Got held up with one of their tasks or something,” Lance filled him in. “We’re hoping Vivian will make an appearance.”

Merlin nodded, looking over at Will. He had his head down, staring at a spot on the floor. Merlin furrowed his brow and jerked his head at Will, meeting Lance’s eyes with a silent question.

“Vivian took the fall for him. I have no idea why,” Lance said.

Merlin turned on Will, eyes flashing with anger, he snarled, “You let her take the fall for you? What the hell, Will! If you can’t make a kill without being so fucking obvious, maybe you’re more of a liability than an asset.”

Will stood up, face full of matching fury. “Don’t you think I know that? I told her not to, that I would own up for my mistake. I didn’t know Elena was even in there!” He ran his hands through his hair, making it stand up. “Her fucking lilac suit was too obvious; she can’t blend into the shadows like I can.”

Merlin curled his lip in disgust, looking away from Will.

“Oh, don’t you dare make that face at me, Merlin. You want to talk about mistakes? Why is Arthur still alive, hm?” Will stepped closer, his sharp teeth glinting under the fluorescent lights. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities, you’re even sharing a bunk with him now, so where’s the body?”

“He’s got a point, Merlin,” Lance interjected calmly. “We’re running out of time. This trip around Essetir buys us a little more, but not much.”

Merlin sighed, running his hands through his hair. “What am I supposed to do, just off the guy in his sleep? That’s a bit cold, even for us.”

Will and Lance exchanged a look, and turned back to Merlin with matching unimpressed expressions. Merlin needed better excuses.

“End of the month, Merlin,” Lance said, exchanging another glance with Will. “Or we’ll take care of it ourselves.”

>>><<<

A communicuff beeped inappropriately loud, yanking Arthur from sleep. He brought his wrist into his line of sight, squinting at it blearily. Lifting a finger, Arthur swiped the notification off the screen, the compartment falling back into silence. He felt warm, warmer than he ever remembered waking up while in the cold of space. Snuggling deeper into the bed to absorb more of the warmth before he was forced to leave, he dimly became aware of an arm draped across his middle.

An arm that didn’t belong to him. Merlin’s arm.

Arthur slowly turned his head, and came face to face with Merlin, breathing steadily into his neck.

Merlin looked softer in sleep. The hard lines of his face were smoothed out, a light smile playing around the corners of his mouth. His jet-black hair was more of a mess than usual, curled and twisted around Merlin’s ear from moving in his sleep. Warmth surged through Arthur at the sight, making breathing difficult as his chest constricted. Arthur had always found himself drawn to Merlin, but the pull was nearly irresistible now. If he just stretched his neck out a tiny bit more, Arthur could press a kiss to Merlin’s forehead.

It would be so easy.

A communicuff beeped again, pulling Merlin back into the waking world. Merlin frowned, rubbing his face against Arthur’s shoulder. As he woke and became aware of his surroundings, Merlin stiffened, then rolled quickly back to his side of the bed and then off, landing on his feet and darting to the tiny bathroom.

Arthur tried not to let Merlin’s reaction at waking up pressed against his side get to him. It had been a rough few days, and he probably just didn’t know what he was doing in his sleep and felt embarassed. Hopefully.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Arthur checked the notifications on his communicuff. The bathroom door slid open and he looked up to watch Merlin enter the room awkwardly, scanning the floor. Arthur nudged Merlin’s boots in his direction without looking up. “Sleep well?”

Merlin nodded, stepping further into the room and scooping his boots up. He took a seat on the edge of the bed and slipped them on, waiting for Arthur to finish up so they could get started on Merlin’s tasks for the day.

Following Merlin around while he did his tasks was strangely calming. For the most part, everyone left him alone. No one badgered him with a thousand questions or updated him about the status of their tasks. Arthur was free to just be one of the crew for the first time since he’d enlisted in the Camelot Space Academy.

Arthur did his best to help with the tasks, but Merlin was surprisingly good at his job, quickly completing each of his assigned rooms for the day. They spoke easily, joking around while Arthur let Merlin tease him for not knowing how to clean.

The way Merlin smiled when he teased Arthur, eyes creasing at the corners and making small gasps as he struggled to catch his breath from laughing, made Arthur’s heart beat faster. It filled him with warmth and helped to ease the extra tension he’d been carrying around since they’d found Kay’s body.

Merlin stowed his supplies back in the janitorial closet, and turned to Arthur with tired, expectant eyes. They both knew Arthur needed to start his rounds, to check on the other pairs and see how they were doing.

Instead of moving, Arthur stared at Merlin for a long moment, his growing compassion for this one crew member beginning to get the better of him. Merlin looked terrible now that they were no longer laughing and joking. He had developed dark circles under his eyes recently, and he was beginning to look worn around the edges. The stress of the ship was getting to everyone, Arthur knew that. But looking at Merlin made Arthur’s heart twist uncomfortably.

Making a decision, Arthur turned and led the way back to their compartment. He opened the door, ushering Merlin in first and stowing his helmet away in the closet, making sure to leave space for Merlin’s.

Merlin looked at him quizzically, keeping his gaze locked on Arthur’ face while he undressed.

“We’re going to take a nap, Merlin. You look exhausted, and as you pointed out yesterday, your task is one of the most important on the ship,” Arthur hung up his suit, and gestured to the bed. “Captain’s orders.”

Merlin’s blue helmet clunked heavily on the shelf beside Arthur’s, and he sat down on the edge of the bed to slip off his boots without arguing, a testament to how exhausted he must be. Laying down on his side, he rolled to face the wall and promptly fell asleep.

Sitting on the edge of the bed beside Merlin, Arthur looked down at his profile, tracing the jut of Merlin’s cheekbones with his eyes and watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Arthur had a nagging feeling in the back of his head, like he was forgetting something. Something important. Closing his eyes, Arthur tried to remember something, anything, about Merlin from Before. If there was one person he might have memories of, it had to be Merlin. Right?

Squeezing his eyes shut, Arthur concentrated with all his might.

Flashes of color. A spray of blood. The alarm. Always the alarm.

Opening his eyes, Arthur resisted the urge to growl in frustration. Why couldn’t he remember anything? Why did no one seem to be able to remember anything from Before?

Rubbing his eyes hard with the palms of his hands, Arthur flipped the blanket back and lay down beside Merlin. Holding his wrist in front of his face, Arthur set an alarm to wake them in an hour and rolled over onto his side to stare at the back of Merlin’s neck. Forcing himself to close his eyes, Arthur fell into a fitful sleep.

>>><<<

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Merlin became distantly aware of the heavy weight against his back, and the slow, deep breaths hitting his ear. Craning his head around, Merlin caught sight of Arthur’s sleep softened face, snoring softly into Merlin’s hair.

This was becoming something of a habit, Merlin mused to himself. At the end of every shift, they lay down several inches apart, each facing opposite directions, only to find themselves in each other’s space when they awoke.

Not that Merlin was complaining. He had developed a crush on the dedicated, handsome young Captain not long after Merlin and his companions had boarded the ship, but he had never expected to have the luxury of spending this much time with the man. Especially in such close quarters.

Merlin wondered lazily if they shouldn’t just give in and go to sleep like this. It would certainly make mornings easier.

Adjusting carefully, he shifted to lay more on his back, turning his head to better study Arthur’s face. Ever since the nap Arthur had let him take a few days ago, things had been different between them. Easier in some ways, but harder in others. Arthur was an interesting man. He was continuously showing how compassionate and dedicated to the Excalibur and her crew, spending tireless hours in the Command hub pouring over data about everything from fuel and supplies to course charts, trying to gauge whether they should attempt to obliterate asteroids or just go around them.

The pressure for Merlin to take out Arthur had ratcheted up, too, making every interaction that much harder. Merlin saw every opportunity, every opening, to complete his task and instead, he watched them pass him by.

Like now, for instance.

Arthur was just laying there, completely at Merlin’s mercy. It would be nothing, to flip over and cut Arthur’s throat.

It would be easy. So easy.

So why couldn’t Merlin just _do it_?

Arthur sighed, his hands shifting from their previous position tucked between their bodies and sliding up Merlin’s side, coming to rest on Merlin’s chest, pressing him closer to Arthur’s own chest.

Even through the suit that Merlin still wore to sleep in, he could feel the heat of Arthur’s hand, searing into his skin like a brand. Something twisted uncomfortably in Merlin’s stomach, bubbling and fuzzy, like entering space after being planet bound for a long time.

Maybe he should go see the ships medic, Merlin wondered, and see what was wrong with him.

Twitching his shoulder, Merlin moved Arthur’s hand and eased out from under Arthur’s arm and made his way to the bathroom to begin getting ready for their joint shift. The sound of Arthur’s blaring communicuff alarm greeted him as he exited the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed to slip on his boots.

Arthur blearily smacked his wrist until the alarm stopped. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position, and looked down at the empty space next to him in confusion. Merlin subtly set his foot back on the floor with more force than necessary, making Arthur jump and turn to look at him. His face broke into a sleepy smile upon seeing Merlin, and Merlin felt that bubbly-fuzzy feeling again.

Rubbing his sternum oddly, Merlin returned the smile. “Good morning. Ready for rounds?”

Arthur yawned and nodded, running a hand through his hair while he got out of bed and dragged himself across the room to get ready.

“Have you ever been over here?” Arthur asked, gesturing broadly around them at the Research Hub corridor they were walking down.

Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. “To clean, you mean? Because yes, we do clean over here.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Arthur nudged Merlin with his shoulder, almost sending him into the wall.

Arthur led the way through the main doorway, where they were immediately greeted with the sight of the one surviving Research Officer locked in a passionate embrace against the wall with the cyan suit of their Chief Medical Officer, Elyan.

Knocking lightly on the open door, Arthur cleared his throat. “Are we interrupting, gentlemen?”

They sprang apart, and Percival turned to look at them, his face beet red. Elyan laughed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “No, Captain, of course not.”

“Good.” Arthur stepped further into the room. “Percival, if you’d be so kind as to show me what you’ve been working on.”

Percival nodded, leading Arthur over to his workstation.

Merlin looked over to Elyan. “Do you want to go with them?”

“Oh, God no,” Elyan said, sounding slightly horrified. “If I hear this lecture again, I’m going back to the med bay, Them be damned.”

Raising his eyebrows, Merlin nodded slightly. Elyan pulled out a chair at a mostly clear table and gestured for Merlin to do the same. They sat awkwardly for a few minutes, avoiding eye contact as they looked around for something to talk about.

Finally Elyan broke the silence. “So how is it being Arthur’s partner?”

“It’s fine.” Merlin shrugged. “It’s weird spending so much time in Command when I’m not cleaning it.”

Elyan snorted, flicking his eyes over to where Arthur and Percival stood, bent over Percival’s workstation, talking animatedly.

“Hey, could I ask you a question?” Merlin asked, following Elyan’s gaze to land on Arthur, who was talking animatedly with his hands. His stomach fluttered again, thinking about those same hands trailing up his sides that morning.

“Yeah, go for it.” Elyan gestured for Merlin to keep speaking.

“I’ve been getting some weird stomach cramps? You know how when you go into space and you lose gravity for the first time, and you get all-“ Merlin wiggled his fingers “-inside? What is that?”

“When do you get these feelings?”

“Um,” Merlin thought about waking up from his nap with Arthur a few days ago, Arthur’s head cradled on Merlin’s shoulder and his arm slung over Merlin’s waist, about that morning, about every single time Arthur touched him or looked at him just a little too long. “Just, you know, in the morning or randomly throughout the day.”

Elyan followed Merlin’s gaze to Arthur, then glanced back at Merlin with humor in his dark brown eyes. “Around the Captain, you mean?”

“I’m always around him now,” Merlin pointed out. 

“Hm, yes, that’s true,” Elyan said slowly, raising an eyebrow, a light smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “Well, it doesn’t sound serious. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Merlin opened his mouth to ask Elyan what he meant by that, but Arthur and Percival chose that moment to meander back over to Merlin and Elyan, laughing loudly and pulling Merlin out of his thoughts.

Putting his hand on Merlin’s shoulder, Arthur squeezed lightly in greeting and said his goodbyes to Percival and Elyan. Turning to Merlin, he asked, “You ready to go back to Command?”

Merlin nodded and pushed his chair back from the table to stand. Arthur led the way out of the Research hub, helmet tucked under one arm and running his other hand anxiously through his hair.

“Oh, hold up,” Arthur said suddenly. Merlin looked at him quizzically. “Bathroom break.”

Merlin jumped up on the countertop to wait, and rested his head in his hands while Arthur entered a stall.

What did Elyan mean by “ _you’ll figure it out_ ”? Obviously Merlin wasn’t going to figure it out if he had to ask someone.

The sound of fabric scuffing on metal made Merlin snap his head up, holding his breath to listen. He couldn’t remember the air circulation system sounding like that.

A muffled grunt echoed, barely reaching Merlin’s ears.

A click of metal.

The quiet bump of something knocking into thin metal.

The vent above the center aisle popped open, swinging violently into the ceiling as it was pushed open. Lucan dropped to the floor in a pink blur, landing in a crouch on the balls of his feet, knife held at the ready.

Time slowed down as their eyes met across the bathroom. Arthur could be heard shuffling and messing with his clothes on the far side, too far for Merlin to reach him before Lucan did. Lucan smirked as Arthur flushed the toilet, jerking them out of their standstill.

Lucan turned and dashed for the toilet stalls on the opposite side of the lavatory, twirling the knife in his fingers. Leaping to the floor, Merlin hissed and flexed his fingers, feeling his claws extend through the gloves, and took off after Lucan.

Merlin caught up to him quickly, swiping his claws across Lucan’s broad back, opening up four diagonal gashes from his shoulder to the small of his back. Blood began gushing down the back of Lucan’s pink suit and dripping to the floor to form slick puddles. Lucan let out an inhuman noise, whirling around and slashing at Merlin with the knife. He jumped back just in time, narrowly avoiding getting cut. Kicking out with his leg, Merlin’s heel connected with Lucan’s wrist and sent the knife clattering to the floor, spinning out of reach.

Lucan snarled in frustration, and the two began circling, eyes locked on the other.

“Why are you doing this?” Lucan growled.

“I could ask you the same thing!”

“You know why,” Lucan’s eyes darted quickly down to the knife on the floor and back up to Merlin.

Merlin smiled, feeling his teeth prick into his bottom lip. Lucan never did learn how to hide his tells.

Arthur chose that moment to exit the stall, opening the door and coming out to stand in the space between Lucan and Merlin. He looked to each of them, nodding. “Lucan, Merlin. What’s going on here, gentlemen?”

Lucan snarled, stepping forward and aiming a punch at Arthur’s head. Merlin darted forwards and gripped Arthur’s arm, yanking him out of the way just in time. Lucan’s fist connected with the metal stall door, leaving a dent larger than either of their heads.

“What the fuck!” Arthur yelped.

Ignoring him, Merlin shoved Arthur behind himself. Tucking his arms in and balancing on one leg, he twisted and kicked out with the other leg, the bottom of his foot landing hard in Lucan’s stomach. Lucan stumbled backwards, crashing through a stall door on the opposite side, giving Merlin enough time to dart forward and scoop up the knife.

Lucan growled, hauling himself back to his feet. Rolling out his shoulders, he advanced on Merlin, towering above him. Holding his fits in front of his face and dropping into a boxing crouch, he pressed his advantage and backed Merlin down the length of the bathroom. Ducking and swerving, Merlin managed to avoid in direct hits, remembering to stay light on his toes and use his size to his advantage.

Bobbing under a blow, Merlin darted under Lucan’s arms and stabbed the knife through his ribcage, feeling it sink past the suit and nicking a rib or two. Lucan stumbled, his back hitting the wall across from the sinks. His hand covering the bleeding wound, he sank to the floor, looking up at Merlin in shock.

Twirling the knife in his hand to hold it in a reverse grip, Merlin jumped forwards and straddled Lucan’s lap. He paused for just a moment, eyes meeting Lucan’s eyes through the face shield of the helmet. Distantly, Merlin could see his own reflection there, too, eyes wild and face streaked with blood from the spray when he’d slashed Lucan’s back open.

Gritting his teeth, Merlin raised the knife high, and stabbed it down viciously into Lucan’s chest. The knife sunk down to the base of the handle with the force of Merlin’s thrust, embedding itself in Lucan’s spinal cord.

Panting, Merlin looked down at the blood oozing across Lucan’s pink suit. He had just killed one of his own. He’d killed one of his companions. In defense of a crew member. In defense of _Arthur._

What had he just done? It didn’t feel real. Merlin wasn’t like this, he wasn’t a murderer. He didn’t kill the people who were supposed to be on his side. How much did Arthur see? He suddenly felt incredibly dirty, feeling Lucan’s blood drip down his face.

Merlin looked up at Lucan’s face shield, trying to see his reflection. Instead, he met Lucan’s eyes, staring at him in betrayal. Staring, but not seeing.

Lucan didn’t deserve to go like this. He was a good soldier, a good friend. He was just doing what they were supposed to do. Merlin wrenched the helmet off of Lucan, throwing it to the side. Lucan’s body rocked with the force of Merlin’s movements and slumped to the side, no longer able to resist.

Bringing his hand up, Merlin lowered Lucan’s eyelids over his dark brown eyes, shutting them forever. Merlin leaned forward, using his blue gloved hands to cradle Lucan’s head, pressing their foreheads together as his eyes began to sting.

Arthur’s voice filtered back into Merlin’s consciousness.

“Merlin!” Arthur didn’t _sound_ angry. He sounded worried. “Merlin?”

Releasing Lucan’s head, Merlin looked to the side and found Arthur’s concerned blue eyes. Arthur reached out and put a gentle hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Hey, come back to me.”

Merlin nodded, reaching for Arthur and allowing himself to be helped to his feet.

“I have to report this, and then we can go back to the compartment, okay?” Arthur said, keeping ahold of Merlin’s arm and slipping the other around his waist to hold him close, eyes searching his for confirmation. Merlin nodded mutely.

The next few hours passed in a blur. The rest of the crew gathered in the bathroom, alternating between staring at Lucan’s body and Merlin. He tried to make himself as small as possible, huddling into Arthur’s side while he doled out tasks. Merlin could feel the eyes of his companions boring into him. He kept his own eyes on the floor, looking at his reflection in the growing pool of blood near Lucan’s body, trying to tune out the silent accusations of betrayal.

Somehow, Merlin ended up back in Arthur’s compartment, sitting on the lid of the toilet while Arthur helped him out of his boots. Arthur’s fingers had just closed on the clasp, preparing to open it and begin removing his compression suit when Merlin snapped back to the present.

Covering Arthur’s fingers with his own, Merlin looked down at him sadly, giving a shake of his head. “I need to do this on my own.”

Arthur nodded, standing back up. “I’ll just go to bed, then,” he decided, and left Merlin alone in the bathroom.

Merlin waited until the door clicked shut before he undid the clasp on his suit, stripping it off as quickly as possible. Not possessing the energy to shower, he wiped himself down and slipped into the extra suit Arthur had thought to bring into the bathroom with them. Waiting for it to decompress, Merlin stared at himself in the mirror.

Lucan was dead. By Merlin’s hand.

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, seeing Lucan’s slack face flash before him again. Lucan’s normally warm, dark brown skin had gone cold and pallid so quickly. In no time at all, the huge rock of a man had bled out in the lavatory. Like it was nothing. Decades of life, gone in seconds.

Stumbling out of the bathroom, Merlin collapsed on the bed, drawing the blankets up around himself. He kept his back to Arthur, trying to keep his eyes closed long enough to fall asleep. Every time his eyes closed, however, Merlin saw Lucan. The betrayal in his eyes as Merlin’s knife stabbed through his chest. The way they stared, unseeing, but still accusing, even in death.

The bed shifted, and Arthur’s arm came up around his waist, pulling Merlin flush against Arthur’s warm, firm body.

“I never did get to say thank you,” Arthur whispered. “For saving me. It was very brave of you, to go up against one of Them on your own.”

Merlin stayed silent, but found himself relaxing against Arthur. His eyes closed of their own volition, and Lucan finally left him alone.

>>><<<

Arthur’s eyes flew open as a loud blaring cut through his subconscious, bringing him fully awake. Flipping the blanket off, he tore himself out of bed and pulled his suit on, barely stopping long enough for the compression to activate and conform the suit properly to his body. Turning back to get his boots from the side of the bed, his eyes drifted across a still sleeping Merlin, sending a wave of guilt through him at the thought of waking him.

How could he still be asleep through all this noise? Didn’t it remind him of Before? Of all the noise and the chaos and the blood?

So much blood.

Arthur shook himself, and reached down to shake Merlin awake when his wrist was gripped in the tight vise of Merlin’s blue-gloved fingers. Merlin’s eyes snapped open and his pupils narrowed into slits, a hiss filling the room. Arthur jerked back with a startled _fuck_ , and Merlin dropped his wrist immediately, sitting up and opening his mouth to apologize.

Arthur held up a hand to stop him, getting his breath under control and saying, “Get dressed. There’s been another attack.”

Merlin blanched and glanced at his communicuff, checking through his notifications quickly.

“Come on,” Arthur urged, needing him to move faster. “We have to get to Command immediately.”

Nodding, Merlin shot off the bed and rushed through his morning routine to meet Arthur at the door. Together, they jogged to the Command hub where they were greeted by a flurry of activity, as half the remaining crew rushed around the hub.

Leon detached himself from the group, greeting Arthur briskly. “There’s been an effort to sabotage the ship, Sir.”

“By Them, I’m assuming?”

He nodded gravely. “Looks like it, Captain.”

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He glanced back at Merlin, who was standing back and off to the side, posture rigid with tension as he watched the activity around them. He wanted to reach out to Merlin, touch his arm and reassure him that — wait.

Not again. Where was Merlin’s helmet?

Merlin glanced over to Arthur guilelessly and quirked the corner of his lips in an imitation of a smile, his thoughts somewhere else.

_Idiot_ , Arthur quelled a smile at the thought. Turning back to Leon, he gestured for him to continue.

“Looks like an attempt to throw us off course. The engines and navigation systems had been altered. Gwen found tools, too, as if someone had been attempting to disable the system altogether.” Leon’s eyes flicked over Arthur’s shoulder towards Merlin, his gaze turning flinty. “Thankfully, it seems they were interrupted.”

“That’s good news indeed, Lieutenant. Carry on.” Arthur turned on his heel and walked back towards the exit, snagging Merlin’s arm on the way.

He grunted in protest, attempting to pull his arm out of Arthur’s grip. Arthur didn’t stop until they made it to the Observation Deck. Whirling Merlin around, Arthur slammed his back against the wall, bracing his forearm across Merlin’s chest to hold him in place.

He didn’t say anything for a moment, watching Merlin’s reaction.

Confusion passed through his blue eyes as he wiggled under Arthur’s arm, quickly giving way to anger when Arthur didn’t release him. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Arthur replied, hearing the steel in his own voice. “Where is your helmet? Why are you always forgetting it?”

“I don’t know!” Merlin replied frantically, anger giving way to panic. “I can’t ever remember to pick it up, I never needed it before now.”

Arthur pressed harder on his arm, feeling the sharp pieces of Merlin’s suit poking through his own.

“Think, Arthur, why do we even have to carry the helmets anyway?”

“What?”

“Why do we need the helmets, Arthur? Because I can’t remember,” Merlin confessed, his eyes watery and pleading.

Arthur paused. Why _did_ they need the helmets? He thought back to that night, that awful, horrible night. The sirens blaring, echoing through the ship. The Engineering Hub had been on fire, someone in a yellow suit had been lying prostrate on the floor, blood everywhere, streaked along the walls.

But why the helmets? It was on the tip of his tongue, just barely on the edge of his consciousness. They _needed_ to wear the helmets. All the survivors had been wearing helmets. Hadn’t they? Arthur’s memories fuzzed, bleeding back into smears of color and spikes of adrenaline.

“I… I don’t know,” Arthur admitted, feeling wrong-footed as he removed his arm from Merlin’s chest to brace it against the wall. “But you have to wear your helmet, Merlin, you have to carry it. That’s protocol. _Please_.”

Merlin nodded, his eyes fixed on Arthur’s. “I will, I’m sorry.”

Sighing with relief, Arthur slapped his hand on the side of Merlin’s shoulder and gave him a half smile to cover the inner turmoil Merlin had unwittingly thrown him into. “Let’s go get your helmet and we’ll not speak of it again.”

>>>

Arthur glanced out of the corner of his eye at Leon. He’d been acting oddly all morning. He’d greeted Arthur after arriving at Command with Merlin in tow, but had scarcely said anything else. Arthur shifted to glance at Merlin on his other side. The revelation that Lucan, a trusted and well-liked member of the crew, had been one of Them had been hard to swallow. Merlin’s nightmares had kept them both up, and he imagined Leon wasn’t faring any better. It had to be unnerving, to learn that all the time he’d spent with someone he thought was his friend was actually an imposter, and then to work side-by-side with your friend’s killer.

Sighing, Arthur turned his attention back to the console in his hand, looking at the data without seeing it. After the loss of Lucan, Leon had been left without a partner, automatically relegating him to Gwaine’s partner. Due to the nature and necessity of Gwaine’s tasks, Leon typically conducted his First Mate tasks from the kitchens. Today, however, they were all in the Command hub together, and the tension between Merlin and Leon was making the air thick enough to choke on.

Arthur badly wanted to ask how Merlin was doing, to verbally check on him, but was afraid it would make Merlin clam up and put more distance between them. The night Merlin had killed Lucan had changed things between them. There was a strange intimacy between them now, Merlin allowing Arthur to become more tactile both in and out of their shared compartment. He still wore the suit while he slept, but Merlin stayed close to Arthur, curling into his side and taking comfort in Arthur’s touch.

Touch Arthur had been increasingly interested in giving over the last few weeks after Lucan’s attack.

Arthur would hate to ruin their progress now.

They’d finally cleared the rings of Essetir despite the attempted sabotage earlier that week, and the Excalibur was due back on Camelot in only four weeks. Gwaine had confirmed they had more than enough rations to get them that far after arriving at Command with Leon, before taking a seat out of the way along the wall and trying not to look bored out of his mind. Gwaine had also noticed Merlin’s foul mood and given a try at pulling a smile out of him, but Merlin had merely moved to stand by Arthur in the Captain’s chair, head bowed with his wrists crossed behind his back. 

A communicuff went off, dragging Arthur out of his thoughts. Looking over to Merlin, he watched as Merlin read the message on his cuff, face pale but otherwise impassive.

“Do we need to go deal with that?” Arthur asked in a low voice, eyebrows raised.

Merlin shook his head. “Will can handle it.”

Looking around the ship, Arthur caught sight of Leon looking away from Merlin, a look of disgust crossing his face before he schooled his expression into one of professional concentration.

Arthur stood, setting the console in the seat of his chair and raising his arms above his head to stretch. Turning to Merlin, Arthur jerked his head in the direction of the hall that led to the observatory deck. “Let’s take a walk, yeah?”

Without waiting for an answer, Arthur turned and made his way to the corridor. Merlin strode after him, confusion pulling his brows together. They stood by the pane of transparent, fused quartz in silence, looking out at the vast expanse of stars and darkness around them. In the distance, they could see the green-blue of their home planet, Camelot.

The silence stretched between them, becoming just this side of uncomfortable before Arthur broke it.

“Anything you want to talk about?”

Merlin swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Arthur bit his tongue, resisting the urge to ask more questions, and instead wait for Merlin to fill the silence on his own.

“Not particularly.”

Snorting, Arthur turned to look at Merlin, his blue helmet clutched like a lifeline in his gloved fingers. “Merlin, I—”

A thumping in the vent shaft above them caused both of them to jerk around, eyes following the noise to the vent cover along the floor.

“What in the…” Arthur muttered, moving to try and get a better view through the grate covering a port of circulation. A flash of lilac was the only warning he got before the vent was forced open, and Vivian burst out, brandishing a long, wicked looking knife.

“Arthur, don’t!” Merlin exclaimed, reaching out to grab the back of Arthur’s red suit. Arthur shook him off, pushing Merlin behind him.

“Stay behind me!”

Vivian half crouched, circling the pair of them. Her eyes glittered from within her lilac helmet, the knife blade glinting in the overhead lights.

“Why are you doing this?” Arthur asked, turning to keep from exposing his back to Vivian and her knife.

Vivian smiled at him, her lips pulled back to expose sharp, pointed teeth. “Albion was not as lifeless as your people seem to believe it is.”

“What are you talking about?” Arthur asked, exasperated. “We were told it was uninhabited, that’s it.”

Vivian’s snort rasped harshly through the helmet’s speakers. “That’s what the other crews said, too, but even after revealing ourselves, your people still force themselves into our world, destroying our millennia old homes and way of life.”

Arthur spread his hands placatingly. “I’m sorry, Vivian. I didn’t know, truly.”

“It’s too late for apologies.”

Lunging forward, Vivian slashed horizontally at Arthur’s stomach, managing to jump back just in time to avoid getting cut. Vivian snarled in frustration, flipping the knife in her hand and holding on to the end of the blade with her fingertips. Taking a second to aim, she flicked her wrist and sent the knife flying.

Arthur watched, as if in slow motion, as the knife came at him. He felt Merlin grab the back of his suit and pull down, attempting to get Arthur out of the way of the blade. Arthur hit the floor as he felt a searing pain shoot through his chest, and the warm gush as blood began to fill the inside of his suit.

Looking down, Arthur watched in morbid fascination as the slice in his red suit turned a deep red, the blood welling up through the cut. Merlin’s blue gloved hands came into view, trying to survey the damage quickly. Arthur glanced up to see Merlin’s normally bright face twisted in concern, the blood staining his gloves purple.

Arthur opened his mouth, intending to say something reassuring, but all that came out was a weak gurgle. He felt blood leak down the side of his mouth, and wished he had the strength to wipe it away so Merlin wouldn’t have to see.

God, Arthur was so tired. He just wanted to close his eyes for a little bit, he’d feel better after a short nap, he was sure.

Merlin growled, bending his head to rest his forehead on Arthur’s shoulder. He shook Arthur lightly, whispering, “You have to stay awake, Arthur. Just a few more minutes.”

Arthur nodded, wanting to tell Merlin he would try for him.

Merlin stood slowly, and turned to face Vivian. Arthur heard her ask, “Well? What are you waiting for?” Before the world faded to black.

Arthur woke with a start, eyes flinching as he adjusted to the brightness of his surroundings. A dull ache throbbed in his chest, just below his shoulder, and the memory of Vivian’s knife coming at him as Merlin pulled him to the floor swam into his mind. Reaching up with his opposite arm, he pressed on the bandage lightly, hissing as the pain became more pronounced.

Merlin. Where was Merlin?

Looking around, he recognized the infirmary of the Medical Hub. Arthur had never really been in here before, except to meet with Elyan for supply checks. Sighing, his head flopped back against the pillow.

He hoped Elyan would come to check on him soon. Arthur needed to know what had happened, the questions swirling around in his mind were becoming too loud to drown out.

The door clicked as it opened, and in stepped Merlin. He had changed suits, his hands no longer purple with Arthur’s blood. He draped a spare suit of Arthur’s over a chair near the bed and looked over to meet Arthur’s gaze, his face morphing into surprise and then concern.

Rushing over to the bed, Merlin reached out a hand to hold Arthur’s, stopping halfway as if remembering where they were. Arthur brought his hand up the rest of the way, gripping Merlin’s fingers tightly through the gloves.

Scratches covered one side of Merlin’s face, starting above his left eyebrow and extending down to cover the top of his cheekbone. His face was drawn and tired, shadows making his eyes seem bigger than they were.

“You look like shit,” Arthur managed, his voice rough and grating from disuse, nonetheless drawing a relieved smile to Merlin’s lips.

“Not so hot yourself,” Merlin whispered back.

Arthur released Merlin’s hand, reaching up to cup Merlin’s jaw. He traced under Merlin’s cheekbone with the tip of his thumb, stopping when Merlin winced. “What happened?”

“Vivian’s dead.”

Nodding, Arthur withdrew his hand, clasping Merlin’s hand and bringing it to rest on his sternum. “What else?”

Merlin cleared his throat. “You’ve been asleep for several days. Leon and Gwen have taken control of the ship while you’ve been asleep,” he looked down at his boots. “And I need to tell you something.”

“Later,” Arthur nodded, stroking his thumb across the back of Merlin’s hand. “How have you been? After Vivian?”

“I’m fine,” Merlin reassured him, voice dropping to a strained whisper. “Just been worried about you. You lost so much blood, Arthur.”

He huffed a laugh, head dropping back onto the pillow. He closed his eyes as the events of the attack came swimming to his mind, Vivian’s last words to him ringing in his ears. “Do you think it was true? What Vivian said? That our people have been invading and destroying her planet?”

Merlin tensed, eyes darting up to Arthur’s face for a second before flitting away. “I don’t think that anyone would infiltrate a ship and kill people without cause.”

“You’re probably right,” Arthur sighed, releasing Merlin’s hand to rub his forehead. “I swear I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have, wouldn’t have agreed to this mission if I had known. I’ll speak to General Pendragon when we return. Get to the bottom of this.”

“I believe you,” Merlin whispered, his eyes sincere and hopeful as they locked on to Arthur’s. “Arthur, I need to tell you something.”

The door clicked open again, and Elyan strode into the room. Merlin startled, moving quickly from the bedside and backing up against the opposite wall, allowing space for Elyan to examine Arthur.

“How do you feel, Captain?”

“Never better, Elyan. When can I return to Command?”

Elyan raised a disapproving eyebrow. “Unfortunately, you’re going to need to stay off your feet for a while. You can conduct your duties from here, and Merlin will be on hand to assist you.”

“What about Merlin’s tasks?”

“He’s been excused for the time being. Will and Lance can handle it while you recover,” Elyan assured him. “I’m going to give you something for the pain, but it might make you a bit drowsy. Do your best to rest, Arthur, and you’ll heal faster.”

Elyan tinkered with the IV drip for a moment, before nodding at Merlin. “Let Merlin know if you need anything.”

The door clicked shut behind him as Elyan left.

Arthur looked up expectantly at Merlin as he moved to stand beside the bed once more. Merlin rested his hands on the rail, fidgeting with his fingers. “The larder was sabotaged while you were asleep. Gwaine has spent most of his time in Command or with Leon, so we’re pretty sure it’s not him.”

Letting his head loll back onto the bed, Arthur closed his eyes, absorbing the update. “How much of our supplies remain?”

“Enough.” Merlin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Enough if two more crew members are revealed or killed. Otherwise, we don’t know if everyone will make it.”

Two more crew members had to die for the majority to survive. If they didn’t reveal another imposter, there was a chance two crew members would die anyway. Arthur resisted the urge to scream in frustration. The situation felt impossible. How was he supposed to make the decision of who got fed and who didn’t?

His list of problems was growing. He needed to figure something out, and fast.

“How has that been handled since I was injured?” Arthur asked.

“The stores were sabotaged last night, so it hasn’t affected us directly just yet. Leon suggested that those with vital tasks be allowed to eat first, and the rest get half.”

Arthur frowned. He would need to remedy that soon. “Tell Leon that everyone gets an equal share, end of discussion.”

Merlin nodded his head in understanding, and reached down to rest his hand over Arthur’s on the bed. His brows furrowed pensively, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times. Finally, he said, “Arthur, I… I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you.”

Arthur looked up at Merlin quizzically. What did that mean? Before Arthur was able to ask, he felt the medication begin to work, pulling him back to sleep, and the last thing he saw was Merlin looking sadly down at him.

A few days later, under Elyan’s begrudging approval, Arthur was allowed to return to performing his lighter tasks. For the most part, Merlin and he took to taking walks around the ship and checking on the other crew members. There were only a few of them left now, and everyone was spread thin and tense.

Following Vivian’s reveal and brutal death, Arthur had agreed to postpone the previous weeks meeting. Several of the crew seemed to be taking her betrayal hard, the mood of the ship subdued. Merlin, since he had been the one to end her life, and surprisingly, Leon. He seemed to be taking it the hardest, in truth. Arthur wondered idly if there had been more going on between them, his thoughts wondering to Leon’s temperamental behavior while he was trapped in the infirmary. The reveal of Vivian’s true nature, combined with the betrayal of his former partner Lucan, taking its toll on the normally stoic First Mate.

It didn’t look like their situation would be getting better any time soon.

The crew meeting had been rescheduled for a few days after Arthur had been allowed to return to work. In a few hours, they would be gathering in the Meeting Room and voting another crew member off the ship.

He had considered putting an end to the meetings after Vivian’s accusation, but portions of the ship kept falling to sabotage. Engineering could no longer find their tools, Navigation clocked in to torn star charts and reset controls. The kitchens kept coming up with less and less food. They were running out of time, and Arthur was fresh out of ideas.

Arthur’s stomach rolled uncomfortably as he watched Merlin dozing beside him in their compartment. He’d come uncomfortably close to losing Merlin over a month ago, and since then, he had only grown closer, grown more attached to Merlin. He knew it was dangerous to do so, that, like Leon, he would end up getting irreparably hurt if Merlin were revealed to be one of Them.

He couldn’t help it, though. Before, Merlin had just been the adorable, hardworking blue crew mate that Arthur knew he didn’t have a chance with. And now… He was _Merlin_. Merlin, who’d risked his life, repeatedly, for Arthur’s. Had rearranged his whole task schedule and spent countless, mind numbing hour in Command with him, quietly offering advice and radiating calm support while Arthur did his best to handle an unmanageable situation.

Moving his hand, Arthur hovered the barest of centimeters from where Merlin’s gloved hand rested on the bed, feeling both overwhelmed by the proximity and a million miles away. It wasn’t like Arthur thought his touch would be unwelcome. They woke up wrapped around each other more often than not, the stress of their situation and the loneliness of space drawing them together.

But it was different in the daylight. Or what constituted as daylight, while Arthur watched Merlin sleep before the meeting. It felt like an invasion of privacy.

Arthur’s communicuff vibrated, reminding him of the time. Lifting his hand, he placed it on Merlin’s shoulder and shook him gently. “Hey, wake up,” he said softly. “We have to go soon.”

Merlin’s eyes fluttered open, dark lashes sweeping open to reveal the brilliant blue of his eyes. He smiled sleepily, exposing his – _pointed?_ – teeth. They disappeared before Arthur could get a better look, as Merlin closed his mouth to stretch and roll out of bed.

The warm feeling had evaporated, leaving Arthur cold and full of dread. Those had been pointed teeth he had seen, he was sure of it. Only They had pointed teeth. Was Merlin…? No, he couldn’t be.

Right?

>>>

Arthur stood at the head of the table, looking at the meagre dozen that remained of his crew. There was still three weeks left before they would arrive back on Camelot. If they were lucky, he would dock with seven remaining crew members. If he were unlucky, well. It didn’t bear thinking about.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur began the Meeting. “Vote.”

He chanced a glance across the table to where Merlin sat, sandwiched between Leon and Lance. Merlin was staring studiously down at his communicuff, Arthur could see him worrying his bottom lip between his teeth while he decided on who to vote off the ship.

Arthur turned his attention back to his own cuff, and scanned the list of names. Who had been acting strange lately? The brief flash of pointed teeth crossed his mind, quickly followed by the dead eyes of Lucan and the challenge in Vivian’s voice as she addressed Merlin.

Even if Merlin was one of Them, he’d also killed two others. Why would he do that? To better ingratiate himself in Arthur’s good graces? Then why hadn’t Merlin revealed the Others?

Flicking his eyes up, Arthur noticed a lot of green cuffs. He needed to make a decision. Now. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a deep breath and selected a name. His cuff lit up green, quickly followed by Morgana’s.

Releasing his breath, he waited while the system tallied the votes. The screen changed, and Arthur felt his stomach drop into his boots. _Not him._

Merlin held the most votes, followed closely by Mithian.

The recurring nightmare of watching Merlin shoved through the airlock by Leon flashed in bits and pieces in his mind. Arthur would have to help, now that Lucan was gone. It would be expected.

The floor of the ship tilted, and Arthur felt like he was falling headfirst into the table.

He couldn’t let that happen to Merlin. Glancing back at the votes, Arthur heard himself say, “Mithian.”

All eyes turned to Mithian. The burgundy suited crew member sat, frozen in shock. Elena gasped, her hands flying to her face shield.

“It can’t be her! I would _know._ ”

Leon and Lancelot exchanged glances behind Merlin’s head, but otherwise stayed silent.

“I’m sorry, Elena. But the crew has spoken,” Arthur apologized. “Lieutenant, if you will.”

Leon stood, his chair scraping harshly against the floor, echoing in the silent room. Mithian stood of her own accord, not resisting as Leon gripped her arm above the elbow and escorted her to the door. Arthur took her other arm as they approached, and together, they made their way to the airlock.

Mithian walked along blindly, her feet stumbling over one another. Leon had just released her arm and moved away to unscrew the airlock when she made her move.

Yanking her arm from Arthur’s loose grasp, Mithian turned and sprinted for the hall. Arthur’s brain caught up just a second too late, and he made to give chase. Will’s black suit moved in a blur, blocking Mithian from reaching the maze of corridors that would have afforded her temporary freedom.

Arthur caught up a second or two later, and gripped her elbow. Nodding his thanks at Will, Arthur dragged Mithian screaming back toward the airlock. It was like a switch had been flipped, and she was full of fight now. Scratching at Arthur’s arm and torso, she screeched and struggled, using her legs and heavy boots to kick at his shins and knees.

Finally arriving at the airlock, Leon whipped the door back and got a grip on Mithian’s legs, his large hands closed tightly around her thin ankles, helping Arthur to bodily lift her in the hole. Together, they pushed her headfirst through the gap, releasing their grip as the suction tugged her body into the vacuum of space.

Leon replaced the airlock, white-clad arms moving quickly to put an end to the day. Straightening, he nodded at Arthur. Turning to the group, Arthur said, “You’re all dismissed. Return to your tasks if they’re vital, otherwise you’re free to return to your compartments.”

Without looking anyone in the eye, Arthur strode into the hall and whipped off his helmet, tucking it tightly under his arm. Merlin caught up with him two left turns later, his blue helmet swinging loosely in his grasp.

“You okay?”

Arthur slammed the sliding door open so hard it bounced in its frame. Merlin carefully closed the door behind them, and collected Arthur’s helmet from where he’d thrown it on the bed and placed it beside his own in the closet.

“Arthur?”

Arthur whirled around, his eyes landing on Merlin, standing uncertainly to the side. Merlin, whom he’d almost lost. Again.

He stalked across the floor to him, following as Merlin retreated until his back hit the wall. He bracketed his hands on either side of Merlin’s shoulders, leaning in until he was inches from Merlin’s lips, their harsh breath mingling. Merlin’s eyes glanced down to Arthur’s lips and back up, pink tongue darting out to nervously lick his lips, and that was all the consent Arthur needed.

Pressing forward, Arthur caught Merlin’s lips in a searing kiss, feeling his heart pound in his chest. Merlin stiffened beneath him for a brief moment before returning the kiss, lips moving with Arthur’s. His hands moved from the wall to grip Arthur’s hips, pulling him closer.

Arthur’s rapidly filling cock hardened further at the touch, and he ground down to feel Merlin’s own hardening length through their suits. He moved his hands from the wall, holding them above Merlin’s head to strip off his gloves, throwing them to the floor on either side of him. Cupping the sides of Merlin’s face, he distantly registered how cool his skin felt. Arthur traced Merlin’s sharp cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs, skin smooth beneath his fingertips.

Sliding one hand around the back of Merlin’s head, he plunged his fingers into Merlin’s hair, feeling the thick strands tangle around his fingers as he closed his fist and held Merlin in place. He dragged the other hand down Merlin’s front, feeling hard muscle under his fingertips. Reaching down, he cupped Merlin through the suit, relishing in the gasp Merlin let out as Arthur squeezed lightly, feeling Merlin’s large cock twitch. Moving to his own hip, he found one of Merlin’s hands on his hip and pulled it off, holding it by a gloved finger. Jerking his hand sharply, he attempted to remove the glove one-handed, wanting to feel Merlin’s bare hands on his skin.

Getting the idea, Merlin let go of Arthur and held his hands behind Arthur’s back and undid the clasps on his gloves, pulling them off and dropping them to the floor. Arthur’s heart beat faster as he heard the soft pat of the gloves hitting the floor, one after the other. A second later, Merlin’s bare hands were on his face.

Gently, Merlin cradled Arthur’s face, his fingertips caressing the skin from Arthur’s chin to the back of his jaw, thumb swiping absently along his jaw, fingertips curled behind his ears, stroking the soft skin reverently. Despite its softness, Merlin’s touch was like a brand, the heat of his fingers burning marks into his skin for everyone to see. Marks Arthur would bear for an eternity.

Wanting to return the gesture, to mark Merlin as his in the same way, he took Merlin’s bottom lip into his mouth and bit down harshly, eliciting a sharp gasp. Possessiveness welled up in him like fire, consuming him, filling his chest with heat. Merlin’s hands moved further back, caressing the back of Arthur’s head and stroking over the skin of his neck. Moving down, Merlin ran his fire hot touch across the tops of Arthur’s shoulders, coming down to caress his arms, looking for Arthur’s hands.

Releasing Merlin’s lip, Arthur slipped his tongue in alongside Merlin’s own, feeling the prick of Merlin’s – _sharp_ – teeth along tender skin. Withdrawing, Arthur gave a final, approving tug on Merlin’s hair and skimmed his fingertips down Merlin’s sides, wishing he could feel bare skin instead of the blasted compression suit.

Gripping Merlin’s hips, Arthur broke off the kiss to lean his forehead against Merlin’s, panting as he attempted to catch his breath. Merlin’s hands trailed down Arthur’s arms, tracing over the exposed skin of his wrist and covering Arthur’s hands with his own.

“Merlin,” Arthur rasped, his voice sounding as wrecked as he felt. Merlin hummed in response, his eyes staying closed.

The communicuff on Merlin’s wrist went off simultaneously with Arthur’s, the harsh beeps deafening in the previously quiet space. Gritting his teeth, Arthur swallowed his sigh of frustration. Squeezing his hand around Merlin’s hip one last time, he brought it up to cradle Merlin’s jaw, scrunching his face as he tried to find the words he wanted.

The cuffs beeped again, demanding their attention. Merlin chuckled softly and patted the back of Arthur’s hand on his hip. “Duty calls.”

They separated slightly, Arthur’s hand staying possessive on Merlin’s hip, bringing their arms up to look at the notification.

Arthur looked over to Merlin in time to see him blanch as he read his own notification.

“Will needs me. Says there’s a big janitor issue.”

“You can’t go. We have to go to Command,” Arthur argued.

“Arthur, it’ll be fine. Please, just this once.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Arthur took a ragged breath and turned the hand on Merlin’s hip to catch hold of Merlin’s fingers. “I almost lost you today.”

Silently, he returned Arthur’s hold, looking down at their joined hands.

“You have to be careful, Merlin. Promise me.”

Merlin nodded, keeping his eyes downcast. “I will.”

Arthur tightened his grip. “ _Promise me._ ”

Merlin raised his head, his eyes watery. “I promise.”

Releasing Arthur’s hand, Merlin bent and picked up his gloves. Putting them back on, he did up the clasps and reached for his helmet. “I’ll see you later, Captain.”

Squaring his shoulders, Merlin tucked his helmet under his arm and left without a backwards glance.

>>><<<

Checking that the coast was clear, Merlin opened a vent in the hall and ducked inside. Crawling through the dark, dusty vent made him feel dirty, especially after leaving the warmth of Arthur’s embrace. He could still feel Arthur’s lips on his, feel his warm fingers wrapped around Merlin’s cold ones.

Silently, he cursed Will for summoning him now, of all times. Things had finally progressed with Arthur, after weeks of waking up beside him, sleep warm and soft. They needed to talk about things first, Merlin knew. Arthur deserved to know who, _what_ , Merlin was before they progressed further.

Hopefully Arthur would still feel the same after that conversation. Whatever _feeling_ this was.

He’d spent much of the last week thinking over what Elyan had told him before Lucan attacked, about the odd cramps Merlin felt in his stomach. Watching Arthur lay in a bed, unconscious and fighting for his life because of Merlin’s mistake had made them worse than ever. He’d barely been able to sleep, unable to drag himself from Arthur’s bedside to the cot Elyan had set up for him along the wall. Instead, he’d propped himself up on the edge of Arthur’s bed and only calmed down enough to dose when he’d had Arthur’s limp hand in his.

Merlin still hadn’t figured out what was wrong with him, but clearly, at least for now, Arthur seemed to be similarly afflicted.

Stopping to look through a vent, Merlin found the room he wanted and opened the grate, dropping lightly to the floor of the Engineering Hub. Lancelot and Will were already waiting for him, talking together in low tones.

They stepped apart when Merlin touched down, watching him with matching looks of disappointment.

“Surprised you’re still alive,” Lancelot intoned, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes bright and sharp with anger.

Merlin glanced over to Will, who had edged to the side of the room, leaning his back against the wall with an air of forced casualty. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “So he didn’t tell you? Interesting.”

Realization dawned, Arthur’s _I almost lost you today_ suddenly making a lot more sense.

Bristling, Merlin snarled, “You tried to have me voted off the ship!”

“Would have worked, too,” Lance uncrossed one arm and studied his nails with an air of boredom. “If it weren’t for your human pet. What exactly have you done for him to be so enamored with you? I don’t remember you being a spectacular lay.”

“I haven’t done anything to him!”

“More’s the pity,” Lance rolled his eyes. “Should have taken the chance when you had it.”

“Do you need something? I don’t have time for this.” Merlin turned to leave, coming face to face with Will.

He squinted his eyes, breathing in deeply. “You smell different.”

“Um, excuse you? Please don’t _smell_ me.”

“What is that smell? It’s not stress, it’s not from the vents.” Will looked him up and down, face twisted in thought, then disgust. “Oh my god, you have _feelings_ for him. Don’t you?”

Rolling his eyes, Merlin made to push past Will, but his words made him freeze. That was it. That was the cause of the odd cramps, the growing, untamable desire to be closer to Arthur in every way possible. The hot flashes, the protectiveness. He was _in love_ with Arthur.

Part of him was relieved he had a name for this unsettling feeling, but the other part of him was gripped with icy fear. Will and Lance knew now, or had known. The others would know soon, if they didn’t already suspect it. Merlin was no longer trustworthy, he was compromised. He was a liability.

The air turned thick, charged with tension. Looking over Merlin’s shoulder, Will exchanged a nod with Lancelot. It was the only warning he got before Will aimed his closed fist for Merlin’s head. Ducking just in time, Merlin jumped back out of range.

“I don’t want to hurt either of you!” Merlin protested. “I’m on your side, but I’m on his, too.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that,” Lance informed him, his voice devoid of emotion. “You’re no longer one of us. Will, take care of him. I’ll go deal with Arthur.”

“No!” Panic welled up in Merlin, choking him with fear that Arthur was about to die because of Merlin’s stupidity.

Will pulled a knife from his suit, snarling, “How can you love someone who’s destroying our home?”

“He didn’t know!” Merlin defended. “If we just talk to him, he’ll help us stop it. He’s not like the others.”

Making a noise of contempt, Will lunged, slashing the knife through the air at Merlin’s stomach. He stepped back just in time, the knife whistling through the space he’d just occupied.

“I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Then don’t.” Will leapt forward again, raising the knife and stabbing it down towards Merlin’s head. Twisting his weight to balance on one leg, Merlin kicked up and out with his leg, the top of his foot connecting with Will’s wrist and sending the knife clattering to the ground.

Will tackled Merlin, sending them both crashing to the ground. They struggled for a moment, each attempting to gain the upper hand. Crowing in triumph, Will came out on top and pinned Merlin’s arms to the floor.

“Does he even feel the same way? Does he know what you are, Merlin?” Will asked, almost pleading. “Do you think he’ll let you live once he figures it out?”

“He’s different than the others,” Merlin insisted. “He’ll help us fix it. Please believe me.”

“You had your chance,” Will sighed and rolled his eyes, looking down at Merlin with pity. “You’ll see him soon, I expect.”

He loosened his hold on Merlin’s wrists, shifting his weight as he attempted to pin Merlin’s elbows down with his knees. The momentary distraction was more than enough, allowing Merlin to wrestle his wrists out of Will’s hold. With a herculean effort, Merlin managed to flip Will off onto the floor, the knife skittering away, out of reach. Getting to his feet, he looked around for the knife. Spotting it, Merlin dove across the room and wrapped his hand firmly around the handle.

Having gotten back to his feet, Will launched himself at Merlin with a snarl. Rolling onto his back to meet Will’s attack head on, Merlin managed to bring the knife up just as Will pounced. His claws slashed Merlin across the face and chest, cutting vertically across his eye to the edge of his jaw. Pain seared through Merlin, the left side of his face erupting in fiery pain. Will landed on him, knocking his head back to the ground as the sickening crunch of the blade piercing Will’s black suit echoed in the empty room.

Time came grinding to a halt as he stared up into Will’s anger-darkened eyes, tension dissipating as they realized what had just happened. Will’s face twisted in confusion as the pain registered, crumpling in on himself.

Gasping out Will’s name, he released his grip on the handle, and pushed Will off to lay on his back on the floor. Merlin got to his feet and hooked his hands under Will’s shoulders, dragging him the few feet to the wall, leaving a smear of blood along the floor. Propping him up, Merlin knelt beside him, hands fluttering uselessly where the knife protruded from his stomach as he tried to figure out what to do.

Grimacing, Will glanced down to see the knife handle protruding from his gut around a steady flow of blood, leaking down to pool darkly alongside his prone body.

“You’re going to be okay,” Merlin said breathlessly, attempting to reassure himself just as much as Will. “I didn’t mean to, Will, please. I can’t lose anyone else. You have to be okay.”

“It’s a bit late for that,” Will slurred, coughing weakly. Blood began trailing out of the side of his mouth.

“Please,” Merlin breathed, yanking off their gloves to clasp Will’s hand in his own. Coughs wracked his body, his breath turning ragged and pained. “I’m sorry, please. I’ll call Elyan, he can fix it. We can save our people, together. Trust me.”

“Merlin, I…"

Will stilled, his unseeing eyes fixed on Merlin’s. His hand went lax in Merlin’s hold, already beginning to feel cold.

Sniffling, Merlin laid Will’s hand on his stomach and gently lowered his eyelids. Cupping his face, he felt his eyes sting with tears that threatened to spill over. Drawing a ragged breath, he leaned forward to press his forehead to Will’s for the last time and whispered a final, “I’m sorry.” 

He got to his feet, taking a moment to get himself under control while he tried to figure out what to do.

Lance.

Lance had gone after Arthur.

Closing his eyes, Merlin reached down and pulled the knife from Will’s limp body with a grotesque squelch, blood spattering across the floor and dripping onto Merlin, flecking blue suit purple. Wiping the knife off on Will’s leg, Merlin tucked it in his utility belt and opened another grate along the wall near the floor. Crawling inside, he made his way back to the compartment he shared with Arthur, desperately hoping he’d beat Lance there.

Arriving at the grate that opened into the hallway, Merlin crawled out and brushed himself off, nose wrinkling in disgust. The blood on his hands had dried, flaking off to the floor. The cuts on his face and chest stung now that the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, every blink pulling at the cut across his eye. Mentally shrugging, he took a deep breath and crept down the hall towards Arthur’s compartment, listening for any odd noises.

He was almost to the door when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Turning, he caught a brief flash of movement just before Lance’s yellow suit came around the corner into view. They made eye contact, and Lance sent him a manic grin as he pulled out his knife.

Merlin pulled the knife out of his utility belt, flipping it in his hand a few times to get the weight of it. Catching the blade between his fingers, Merlin held it in a firm grip, and rolled his shoulders, waiting for Lance to get close enough.

He cast a glance at Arthur’s closed door, and hoped he was still in Command with… Command. _Shit._

Lance had broken into a sprint now, forcing Merlin to focus. He would deal with the other one after he dispatched Lance. Steeling himself, Merlin waited until Lance was a few feet away and went on the offensive. Dashing forward, Merlin lashed out with his knife, aiming for Lance’s torso.

He danced to the side, effectively dodging Merlin’s knife. Using the momentum, Merlin spun himself around and reversed his grip on the knife, using the blade to make his punch harder. He connected with Lance’s jaw and sent him stumbling back into the wall.

Shaking himself, Lance’s smile grew more feral, showing far too many of his pointed teeth. Throwing himself back at Merlin, they exchanged a fast series of blows, with both knives and fists, blocking and retaliating in turns. They were evenly matched, Merlin noted. He hadn’t spent a great deal of time sparring with Lance on their home world, always pairing off with Will or Vivian. Now, however, he wished he had spent more time training with his former companion.

The cuts on Merlin’s face and chest felt like they were on fire. The constant barrage of movement hadn’t allowed them to begin setting, and blood dripped down the outside of his suit. Lance had managed to catch the side of his arm as well, opening a small gash just above his left elbow which had dripped a small, dangerously slick puddle onto the floor.

The clock was ticking, Merlin was running out of time to get back to Arthur before something happened. If something hadn’t already. In a desperate move, Merlin flicked his knife at Lance, sending it flying past his head.

He turned his head as it flew by, watching as it buried itself in the wall behind himself. With Lance distracted, Merlin kicked Lance’s knees in, finally knocking him to the ground. With a surprised _oomph_ , he hit the ground, the sound of bones snapping along with his head cracking sharply against the floor made Merlin wince.

Lance made no move to get up, his breathing harsh and ragged in the corridor. Merlin approached cautiously, waiting for Lance to spring to his feet and take back the upper hand. When he didn’t, Merlin crouched down beside Lance to look for blood, but found nothing. Lance’s eyes rolled to meet his, and he bit out, “Get away from me, traitor. Let me die in peace.”

“This isn’t the way anymore,” Merlin countered softly. “We were wrong. Arthur will help us fix it, we just had to tell him.”

“Your naïveté would be charming if it weren’t so fucking dangerous,” Lancelot snarled, and let out a harsh cough, panting as if he couldn’t catch his breath.

“I didn’t want to kill you,” Merlin apologized. “Not any of you.”

Lance snorted humorlessly. “Then why couldn’t you just stand back and let it happen? You single-handedly killed us all. Lucan, Vivian, Will.” Lance looked up at him with accusing eyes, breathing shallowly. “Will was your best friend. How could you do this, Merlin?”

Merlin stared down at the floor silently, watching blood drip from his elbow as he tried to come up with an answer. Drawing another ragged breath, Lance winced and rolled his eyes. “The least you could do is finish me. Something broke. Losing my breath.”

Moving around to Lance’s head, Merlin tenderly cradled it in his hands and lifted it off the floor. Lance met his eyes, giving a small nod. “Our people’s blood will be on your hands, Merlin.”

Taking a steadying breath, Merlin nodded back. With a sharp jerk of his hands, Lance’s neck snapped. His eyes unfocused, and Merlin laid his head back down to the ground. Closing Lance’s eyes, Merlin hung his head. So many had died at Merlin’s hands now. And so many more would die if he didn’t get to Command.

Getting to his feet, Merlin took a deep breath and picked up the knives that had been scattered across the floor. Sliding them into his utility belt, Merlin sprinted to Command, his heart pounding at the thought that he might be too late.

He arrived to find the usually open Command doors shut, and panic threatened to overwhelm him. Pressing on the control pad to open the doors, he tensed in preparation to tear it open himself if it refused. It slid open just he moved forward, and he stormed into Command, claws extended as he prepared to fight. Merlin looked around the mostly empty Hub, a growl building in his chest. Prowling further into the room, he finally found Arthur.

And pulled up short.

Arthur was alone. He stood by the edge of the navigational controls panel, arms crossed as he stared out into space. He looked exhausted, Merlin realized. He had been so caught up in his own troubles, in dealing with the threat that Lance and the others posed to Arthur and the crew. But Arthur had been dealing with them, too. Not only were the lives of the crew his responsibility, but he was regularly woken by Merlin’s nightmares. Lucan haunted both of them, in more ways than one.

Merlin approached Arthur slowly, coming to a stop beside him and staring out the pane of fused quartz that enclosed Command.

“Everything taken care of?” Arthur asked without moving.

Merlin cleared his throat of a lump. “Yes, Captain, but there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Wha—” Arthur turned to look at him, his eyes widening and stepping closer to Merlin, gripping his shoulders to hold him still so Arthur could inspect the injuries. “What happened to you? Was it Them?”

Merlin flinched as Arthur ran his fingertips along the edge of the scratches that marred his face, his injured eye no longer picking up the movement as well as it had been. “Yes, Captain, but. There’s more.”

Arthur’s eyes snapped to his, heartbreak and recognition flashing across his face before hardening into impassivity. “Let’s go to the compartment. I have a medkit.”

Gripping Merlin’s uninjured arm tightly, Arthur dragged him from Command.

>>><<<

Flinging open their compartment, Arthur threw Merlin inside and slammed the door closed. Getting the medkit from the closet, he shoved Merlin into the bathroom and set it down on the edge of the sink while he stripped off his gloves. He jerked his chin in Merlin’s general direction as he wet a cloth. “You’ll have to take that off so I can look at the wounds on your chest and arm.”

Merlin sighed, and nodded in resignation. With agonizing slowness, he reached up and undid the top of his suit and began gingerly peeling it from the tender skin the blood had glued it to. Arthur tried not to watch, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he darted his eyes to the side, greedily soaking up the view of Merlin’s unobstructed body.

He was bulkier than Arthur had expected, the remains of his undershirt stretched taunt across his chest. Arthur’s eyes traveled downwards, following the line of Merlin’s torso as it tapered into his waist. Catching himself beginning to drool, Arthur jerked his eyes back up to Merlin’s face, his gaze lingering on the feature that denoted Merlin’s true self. The reason he hadn’t slept without his suit, hadn’t changed in the common area, and hadn’t allowed Arthur to help him after Lucan.

The feature that marked Merlin as one of Them.

Dark, swirling marks covered the exposed skin of his arms, disappearing up beneath the sleeves of his torn t-shirt and poking above the collar, the lines ranging in size from the head of a pen to as thick as one of Merlin’s own fingers. They were mesmerizing to look at, outlining patterns and shapes that Arthur wanted to reach out and touch. He wanted to strip Merlin bare and see the path the marks made, to trace with his own fingers – and tongue - to see where they led.

And really, Arthur couldn’t find it in himself to be truly surprised. Merlin had always been different.

Wincing, Merlin removed his suit the rest the way, letting it pile on the floor as he sat down heavily on the closed lid of the toilet. Pushing his thoughts aside, Arthur took Merlin’s jaw in hand, tilting his head to the side rougher than strictly necessary, and began scrubbing the dried blood from Merlin’s face.

Arthur worked in silence for a few moments, letting his anger and worry wash over him, feeling it settle into resigned acceptance. “So when were you going to tell me?”

Merlin shrugged tiredly. “What do you want me to say, Arthur? That I’m sorry? That I never meant to hide from you?” He let out a ragged chuckle. “This wasn’t the plan. I was supposed to kill you so we could take over the ship and infiltrate Camelot. Falling for you wasn’t part of my job, but the more time I spent around you, it just. Happened.”

“Well sorry,” Arthur said bitterly. “Sorry that was such a _hassle_ for you. We’re alone, you could take your shot now.”

With a light shake of his head, Merlin rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Besides, Arthur, how would you have reacted to finding out the man you’d been sharing a bed with belonged to the group who had killed over half your crew?”

Arthur paused, thinking it over. “I’m not sure what I would have done.”

“Whatever, Arthur. You would have shoved me through the airlock faster than I could explain.”

He resumed scrubbing the blood from Merlin’s face. The cuts had reopened under his rough treatment and blood was beginning to drip again. “You’re lucky this one missed your iris, or you’d have lost use of it.”

Merlin shrugged. “Not like it really matters now, anyway.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, you’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” Merlin glanced up at him out of the corner of his eye. “You can’t let me live after this. Not after what I’ve done.”

“Tell me, then. Tell me everything you’ve done.”

And Merlin did.

Arthur listened as he moved on to Merlin’s chest. He cut open the tattered collar of Merlin’s shirt while Merlin told him about the night of the attack. All the lives he had taken with his own claws and knife. How each of Them had chosen a crew member and stolen their identity, slipping into the exhausted and grief-stricken remnants of the crew seamlessly. Arthur removed the shirt, exposing the rest of Merlin’s muscled torso. There were five gashes in total – one for each of the claws that one of Them had used to cut Merlin open. They marred Merlin’s marks, giving the whole patch of skin an odd, distorted appearance.

Merlin told him about the Others he had come with. Lucan, Will, Lance, and Vivian. How they had met every few nights in one of their rooms or in the Engineering Hub and plotted which crew mate to take out. How Merlin had been assigned to get closer to the Captain and take him out the earliest opportunity.

Every time he had been alone with Merlin flashed through his mind. Every break he’d taken on the Observation Deck, where Merlin had suddenly seemed to appear.

“Why didn’t you?” Arthur interrupted, wetting a new cloth and kneeling to scrub away more blood.

“You were kind to me,” Merlin said simply, looking down to watch Arthur kneel between his knees. “I didn’t expect you to be. You always asked how I was doing, if I needed anything. You listened to me complain about Will and the Others. And,” his voice dropped an octave. “I know you saved me more than once.”

Arthur looked up at him, meeting his dark eyes. “I shouldn’t have.”

“I’m glad you did.”

Merlin continued, after a pause, telling Arthur quickly how he came to realize that They were wrong, and chose to begin protecting Arthur. How he had killed Lucan, then Vivian, Will and Lance, in protection of Arthur.

“Is that who gave you these?” He nodded his head at the gashes across Merlin’s chest.

“Will did, yeah,” Merlin nodded, his voice heavy with bitterness. He raised a hand to his eye, lightly fingering the end of the longest scratch. “A parting gift, it seems.”

“So all those people-” Arthur realized. Mordred, Mithian, and the numerous others before “-they were all innocent?”

Merlin nodded morosely. “They would have died at the hands of my companions regardless. The first one, Geraint, he was the only one who was one of us.”

Arthur sat back on his heels, feeling grief and shock overwhelm him. He had killed his own crew. Not one of the people he’d allowed to be executed were one of Them. He’d been made a fool, played by the very people he had been trying to eliminate.

Merlin grasped Arthur’s hand, clutching it like a lifeline. “I am sorry for how this happened. It was never my intention, but I couldn’t let you die.”

“I believe you.” He picked up the cloth again and went back to wiping Merlin’s chest. If anyone understood what it felt like to be in an impossible situation, Arthur did. “These need stitches.”

Merlin sucked in a breath, squeezing his eyes shut. “Can you do stitches?”

“I can, actually. But it won’t be pleasant,” he smirked up at Merlin. Getting the suture kit out of the medkit, Arthur set about sewing up the gashes. Merlin did his best not to flinch, but it was clearly painful. It made Arthur feel a little better, if he were being honest.

Finishing up, he disposed of the bloodied cloths and put the medkit back in its place. Leaving Merlin to finish preparing for bed, he took off his own suit, dropping it in a pile on the floor, planning to deal with it tomorrow. The day had been a long one, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Merlin and sleep for an age.

Settling under the blankets, he turned to find Merlin watching him, standing awkwardly in the doorway of the bathroom, the shadows on his face exaggerated in the dim light, the marks swirling up his arms and across his bare torso helping him to blend into the dark.

“What are you waiting for?”

Merlin looked down, fidgeting with his fingers. “I didn’t know if you’d want me in bed with you. I can go sleep somewhere else.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, _Mer_ lin. Just come lay down,” Arthur gestured at the space beside him, rolling his eyes. Merlin cautiously lay down, keeping a valley of space between them. Sighing in frustration, Arthur dragged Merlin closer, arranging him to lay on his side. Arthur pressed against his back and wrapped an arm tightly around his waist to hold him in place, feeling Merlin’s hard stomach rise and fall nervously with each breath.

Burying his nose in the back of Merlin’s neck, he breathed, “I forgive you. I understand why you did what you did, and I’m grateful that you chose me.”

Merlin stiffened in front of him. “Thank you,” he croaked out.

“And I like the marks.” He ran his fingertips over Merlin’s forearm, feeling him attempt to suppress a shiver. Chuckling softly, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

>>>

His skin prickled, the feeling racing up his arms, the hair standing on end. He was being watched. Cracking an eye open, he found Merlin propped up on one elbow, the soft overhead lights making the pale skin between his marks glow like starlight. He was still half undressed, the bandages on his chest stark against the dark marks twining across his skin. Looking down at him, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth, his eyes dark and glittering as he noticed Arthur watching him in turn.

“Good morning, creep. Is this going to become a regular thing, then?”

Merlin’s smile stretched wider, a hint of pointed teeth on either side of his bottom lip. “Good morning. You’re very pretty when you sleep, did you know? You scowl less.”

Arthur scowled at that, making Merlin’s eyes scrunch in joy, his cheeks dimpling. “You’re very annoying when you wake up first.”

He leaned down and brushed his nose against Arthur’s. “You like it.”

Arthur tilted his chin up, capturing Merlin’s lips in a soft kiss. “Lucky for you that I do.” He brought his other hand up to tangle in Merlin’s hair, holding him in place for a moment longer.

They broke apart, Merlin flopping onto his back to lay beside Arthur. “How do you feel? You seem better.”

Merlin shrugged. “I’ve felt worse. My wounds will heal in their own time.”

His hand found Arthur’s, interlacing their fingers and stroking his thumb across the back of his knuckles. He didn’t want to get up, didn’t want to leave the warmth of their bed, not with Merlin looking at him like that. Sitting up, he braced himself over Merlin, slotting a leg between Merlin’s, he slid his free hand up his side, mesmerized once more by the swirls of black that lined Merlin’s skin, feeling a wash of satisfaction as it shivered beneath his touch, silently begging for more.

Arthur dragged his eyes over Merlin’s chest, following the swirls and loops of the marks as they faded into Merlin’s neck. Finding Merlin’s lips, he lingered, leaning down in small increments, looking up to meet Merlin’s eyes. Holding his gaze steady, Arthur leaned down further, parting his lips to capture Merlin’s. He opened immediately for Arthur, fingers flexing where they twined with Arthur’s. His free hand threaded through the hair on the back of his head, tightening to hold Arthur in place. Arching his hips, Merlin rubbed his hardening cock against Arthur’s in invitation.

Dragging his hand down between their bodies, Arthur cupped Merlin through his pajama bottoms. He was bigger than Arthur had thought, twitching under his touch already. Slipping his fingers under Merlin’s waist band, he wrapped his fingers around Merlin’s cock and–

The door burst open, rattling the wall as Leon forced it open. Arthur jerked back, turning to find Leon striding into the room, a blaster drawn and trained on Merlin.

“What is the meaning of this, Lieutenant?”

Sitting up, Merlin’s eyes narrowed into slits. He pushed Arthur to lay back down on the bed, holding a protective arm over him. His warning hiss filled the room. “Is this really what you want to do, Leon?”

“You killed them all.” Leon’s voice was anguished, his face twisted in pain and hair in disarray. Blood stained his bare hands, trembling slightly as he gripped the gun. “They’re all dead.”

Merlin pressed his lips into a thin line, raising his chin defiantly. “They all had a choice.”

“So did you, Merlin.”

The gun moved in slow motion as Leon pulled the trigger, the bright blue bolt of energy zinging past Merlin and heading towards Arthur. His head hit the pillow just in time to see the bolt spark as it hit the wall. He looked over to see Merlin launch himself out of bed, claws extended and his hair still wild from Arthur’s hands.

Arthur watched in unadulterated horror as the two fought, vicious claws slashing each other open. He heard Leon snarl in pain as Merlin cut him across the chest, fresh blood running down his white suit. He retaliated by dragging his own claws down Merlin’s uncovered arms, his blood dripping to the floor to mingle with Leon’s.

They were evenly matched, Arthur noticed. Merlin used his shorter stature to get close and land a hit before flitting out of reach of Leon’s arms. In turn, Leon used the gun in his hand like a club, landing staggering blows across Merlin’s unprotected face and torso, leaving red marks that would soon develop into bruises.

Getting off the bed, Arthur stood to the side helplessly, trying to figure out how to best help Merlin without getting in the way. Looking around the compartment, he tried to ignore the dull thuds and crunches as Merlin and Leon exchanged blows. Why weren’t Captains allowed to carry weapons as part of their uniform?

Then he remembered the knives Merlin had brought back with them the previous night. Arthur had stashed them in the closet, hoping he could forget they were there until they docked at Camelot.

Edging around the room, Arthur ducked and dodged as Leon lifted and threw Arthur’s desk at Merlin, sending papers and other odds and ends flying through the air. Getting to the closet, he slid the door open and fumbled around on the top shelf. Finding the handle, he pulled it down and turned back to watch the fight.

Merlin was beginning to gain the upper hand, but only just. Leon’s eyes were wild, fear and desperation creeping in as he realized he may not make it off the ship alive. The gun had been knocked out of his hands and now lay on the floor a few feet away from Arthur. Their eyes met over Merlin’s shoulder, and Leon grew more frenzied.

In desperation, Leon dropped low to the ground to avoid a punch from Merlin and picked up a broken steel desk leg. Before Merlin could get out of the way, he cracked it across Merlin’s knee, the sound of bone shattering was deafening, only drowned out by Merlin’s scream. Leon watched in satisfaction as he crumpled in on himself, completely at Leon’s mercy. Raising his leg, Leon stomped on Merlin’s injured knee, grinding his boot against the ground.

Merlin screamed in agony, galvanizing Arthur into action.

Leon looked up, making eye contact with Arthur. He grinned wildly, exposing sharp teeth. “You’re next.”

Kneeling beside Merlin, Leon stroked his fingers across Merlin’s cheek, leaning down to say something Arthur didn’t catch. Trailing his fingers down, he wrapped his hand around Merlin’s throat and began to squeeze.

Merlin, to his credit, still had fight left in him. His claws tore at Leon’s arm and face as he attempted to push him off. But he was exhausted and in excruciating pain, had spent so much of the last twenty-four hours fighting and killing his companions. His eyes were beginning to gloss over, the life draining from him. Gripping the knife in his hand, Arthur moved swiftly across the floor, bringing the knife up and plunging it to the handle into Leon’s back.

He pulled it back out, blood cascading down Leon’s back in a river of red. Leon released Merlin, turning and swiping out with his clawed hand at Arthur’s legs. He missed, the momentum causing him to collapse onto his side next to Merlin, blood pooling around him on the floor. He made an aborted attempt to push himself back into a sitting position before stilling, his eyes closed peacefully.

Arthur stepped around Leon’s body, kneeling beside Merlin and pulling him limply into a sitting position. He coughed, wheezing as he tried to continue getting air in and out of his lungs.

“Hang on, Merlin. Elyan will help.”

Merlin nodded weakly, allowing Arthur to drape his arm across his shoulders and haul him to his feet. Arthur could tell he was trying to make himself light, to be an easy passenger, but putting weight on his injured knee was out of the question.

By the time they stumbled into the Infirmary, Merlin had gone several shades whiter and had nearly passed out altogether from the pain. They’d left a trail of blood from the compartment, which had only grown thicker. Merlin’s head rested against Arthur’s shoulder, lolling listlessly.

“Help! Elyan, Percival someone,” Arthur called, adjusting his grip on Merlin’s limp arm. Percival appeared a few seconds later, trailed by Elyan.

“Here, lets put him on the bed.” Elyan rolled a gurney forwards, gesturing for Percival to help. He grabbed Merlin under the knees, cradling him like a baby as he scooped Merlin off the floor. The movement jarring his shattered bones, Merlin cried out, weakly attempting to regain his hold on Arthur. “Arthur, please.”

It broke something inside Arthur, and he snapped, “Get away from him!”

Elyan and Percival exchanged a look as Merlin was lowered onto the bed. Moving forward, Elyan began looking Merlin over, poking and prodding at his knee and the other cuts and scrapes that adorned his body. The touches made Merlin recoil, half-delirious with pain and blood loss. 

Arthur surged forward, pulling Elyan away from Merlin with a growl. Shaking him off, Elyan resumed his examination.

“Arthur!” Merlin cried out pitifully, his voice weak and hoarse. Bruises were already appearing around his throat, Leon’s fingertips easily identifiable. Arthur snarled again and rushed forwards, unconscious of everything except Merlin.

“Get him out of my medbay!” Elyan commanded without looking up. Percival gripped Arthur’s arm and dragged him from the Infirmary.

“No! I won’t leave him, he needs me!” Arthur protested, his voice rough and nearly inhuman.

“Merlin’s not going to get any better with you interfering. You can see him when I’m finished, Captain. But until then, you’re only making this harder on us all,” Elyan said, not unkindly. “Percival, if you will.”

“Don’t make me knock you out, Captain,” Percival pleaded, his grip on Arthur’s elbow tightening. Turning on him, Arthur bared his teeth. If he moved quick enough, he could take Percival out and be back at Merlin’s side. Percival sighed, drawing back his fist, and that was the last thing Arthur remembered seeing before the world went dark.

>>><<<

The lights of the Infirmary were harsh and blinding as Merlin cracked his eyes open. Swallowing hurt more than it should, his throat dry and rough from disuse. He felt like he hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks, his throat burning and feeling more like sandpaper the longer he was aware of it. Tilting his head down, he managed to look around the room, searching for water.

Moving his arm took all of his strength, and the cup was still just out of reach. His fingertips scuffed the side of the plastic cup uselessly. Sighing in frustration, Merlin let his arm go limp and closed his eyes, exhausted.

“Here,” a warm voice said. Merlin cracked his eyes open to see the cup in front of his face. “Open, I’ll hold it.”

Merlin wrapped his lips around the straw gratefully, sucking water into his mouth. The water made him feel better, and he managed to look up at the source of the voice.

“Arthur,” he whispered.

Smiling, Arthur came around the bed and into view, picking up Merlin’s hand where it rested on his stomach. “How do you feel?”

“Never better. What happened to your face?” He pointed weakly at the shiner Arthur was sporting.

Sheepishly, Arthur said, “Percival had to knock me out because I didn’t handle Elyan taking you away from me very well.”

Merlin blushed, his insides melting into goo at the thought of Arthur being so adamant that he stay with Merlin.

Arthur filled him in on the previous few days after Leon’s attack, telling him that he’d brought Merlin to Elyan and waited to see whether Merlin would survive the blood loss. His knee had been completely shattered, bones fragments sticking out of the skin and some pieces completely unsalvageable. Elyan had attempted to put it back together, but there simply hadn’t been enough pieces and he’d made the executive decision to amputate. As soon as Merlin was well enough, likely once they were back on Camelot, they’d try out a prosthesis and go from there.

After Leon and the other bodies had been disposed of, Arthur had briefed the crew on a story Elyan had helped him come up with, that a few of their crew members had turned out to be Them and had attacked the Captain and Merlin in an act of desperation. They would be arriving on Camelot within thirty-six hours, where Arthur would confront the General, his father.

“I’m going to set this right, Merlin. The General didn’t tell me any of this, and I want to know why. It’s the least I can do. Once we have justice, I’ll tell the real story of what happened here.”

Merlin looked up at his sincere face and nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

“You have to be careful, we can’t let anyone know what you are for a while. I can’t even begin to imagine what my father would do to you if he found out your true identity.”

Merlin nodded. “What will happen to us?”

“Well, that depends on you, to be honest,” Arthur said, rubbing the back of his neck with his empty hand. “I, however, have no intention of letting you go.”

Merlin squeezed his hand, smiling up at him. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Thirty-eight hours later, Arthur stood behind Merlin’s wheelchair as they watched the boarding ramp descended. Leaning down, he kissed Merlin’s temple. “Remember what you said, yeah? Together.”

“Together.”

The ramp touched the landing pad, and the bedraggled remnants of the crew walked together as they disembarked, finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I forgot to include this when I first posted, but you can find me on [Tumblr here](https://mother-of-lionss.tumblr.com/) and I run the [Merlin Fic Discord Server](https://discord.gg/zcfTDsT) if you're interested!
> 
> Thanks for reading! All kudos and comments appreciated


End file.
